Chronomaniac
by GreatDario
Summary: Cloud tries to go back in time to save Aerith. Something goes wrong.
1. Timely Save

A soft breeze touched the unconscious Cloud's face, waking him up from his slumber.

Almost as if waking up in a Wednesday morning, Cloud groggily rubbed his heavy eyelids and attempted to stand up. Upon realizing that he was still dead tired, he quickly gave up on getting back on his legs and decided to remain seated for a little longer.

From what he could feel, the spiky-haired individual deduced that he was sitting on a dirt ground against some rough metal wall. He could also hear people talking from a distance, and considering how inaudible their words were, he deduced that they weren't talking to him. The blond was also able to hear something flowing above him, most likely exposed hydraulic pipes he thought. And judging from an annoying strain he can feel in his back, it wasn't exactly a good place to sleep, either. The blond didn't blame himself though; it's not like he had any idea he was going to wake up at such an unpleasant spot.

Feeling the drowsiness not leaving his mind and body, Cloud decided that he deserved to sleep a few more minutes. He did come a long way to reach this point, after all.

But, just like any typical Wednesday mornings, something starting beeping. It was that rhythmically chaotic kind of noise that would tear at your brain cells and force you against your will to stand up. It was a mark of an unpleasant beginning to a new week. Cloud wasn't even sure if it was a Wednesday, but it sure as hell felt like it.

His will to sleep bent by the annoying noise, the blond finally forced his eyes open. His vision blurred, he turned to look at his right arm. The beeping was coming from his digital wristwatch. Squinting to see through the morning blurry vision, the young man scrutinized the watch on his right wrist.

5:00 A.M.

 _Wow, I'm up early_ , Cloud thought to himself as he yawned, bits of tears forming in his eyes as he took in the sweet oxygen. Actually, no, the oxygen wasn't sweet. Far from it. In fact, he doubted if oxygen actually existed in this place.

The blond suddenly heard someone grumble from his left, "Didn't see _you_ come here yesterday."

Cloud turned to his left to see the source of the grumbling voice. The blur finally leaving his vision, he saw an old man in dirty clothes, sitting on the ground just like him and looking at him with half curiosity and half annoyance. Judging by how he was looking at him, the blond doubted the beggar was pleasant to have him his company.

After rubbing his eyes for the fourth time, Cloud cleared his throat and asked, "What day is it today?"

"The hell would I care what day it is today?" the beggar spat back as he rolled his neck as if to relieved himself from something. He probably had the same back pain as he did, Cloud thought.

"It's probably Wednesday, don't you think?" Cloud asked with a smirk.

"Whazzat?"

"Never mind."

The spiky-haired young man stretched his whole body, hoping to get rid of some of the strain he had in his back. As he stretched, his body felt as if his bones and muscles started to snap back into place. It was a sensation more satisfying than popping all the bubbles in a bubble wrap.

After an extremely satisfying stretch, he turned back to the grumpy old man and commented, "I see that you are an early riser. You have to admit that although it might feel terrible at first, it-"

"I only woke up this early because of that damn watch of yours, you freak," the old man spat back after a failed attempt at falling asleep again.

"Oh," Cloud mumbled. He looked up to see the sky, except it was blocked off by a giant metal saucer-thing that seemed to cover the entire sky. The least they could have done was make the metal disk somewhat appealing to look, Cloud mused to himself.

The beggar tugged at his rugged jacket and turned to the blond. "Got a question for you," he began, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Shoot," the blond responded, slightly surprised to see that the tramp was capable of feeling an emotion other than scorn and annoyance.

"Exactly when the hell did you get here? I didn't see anyone come here to sleep while I was still awake."

"Err…" Cloud murmured as he scrambled his mind to think of a sensible response, "I dunno, actually."

"Hmm," the beggar grumbled as he squinted his eyes to study the blond's face. "From the looks of that large bruise on your cheek, seems like you were beaten to a pulp and thrown here while you were out of it."

The young man instinctively touched his left cheek, which he quickly regretted when he felt a sudden sting on his cheek from contact. Annoyed by the mention of the bruise and the unpleasant pain on his face, Cloud nearly growled back, "What makes you think I _lost_ in a fight? I might have just taken a blow and won the whole thing in the end."

Satisfied by the annoyed reaction, the beggar snickered and commented, "No need to get personal now, boy. You just don't look like a fighting type."

Upon hearing this, Cloud laughed. "I heard _that_ one a lot, not gonna lie."

Cloud was glad that the old man was there to talk with him. It helped him eradicate the drowsiness and the Wednesday grumpiness that plagued his mind and body. If today really was Wednesday, the remaining week would definitely not be _totally_ shitty thanks to him.

And that would be extremely helpful with his mission.

His mission to save Aerith from Sephiroth.

 _I've traveled to the past and put everything I had at risk just to save you_ , he thought as he remembered Aerith. _I hope this is all worth it in the end_.

Realizing that he probably wasted way more time than he should have, the blond stood up, brushing the dust off his gray hoodie and gray sweatpants. He also tightened the shoelaces of his white sneakers, since tripping over shoelaces that somehow untied themselves was always a possibility that gloomed over all living human beings.

After a moment of silence, Cloud took out two items from his pocket: a Phoenix Down and a picture. The adventurer looked at his Phoenix Down. It was a fiery feather that seemed to glow with life. _This is gonna be for_ her, he reminded himself as he stuffed the feather back into his pocket.

Cloud then looked at the picture. It had a beautiful woman standing in a grassy meadow on a sunny day, laughing at the camera. Whenever the blond looked at it, it almost felt as if she's always there, smiling at him through the photograph. It always nearly made him laugh along in unison.

 _I'll be back sooner than you know it, Tifa_ , Cloud said silently with a small smile as he put the picture back into his pocket. _I promise_.

* * *

 **CHAPTER I**

 **TIMELY SAVE**

* * *

"Being back here in the slums brings me back to the good old days," Cloud talked to himself as he saw someone pickpocketing an unsuspecting drunk man who was barely keeping himself on his feet.

It was just like Cloud remembered. Incredibly shoddy buildings literally made of scraps of metal and rubber barely stood on the dirt ground that was clearly not a good foundation for buildings. Over half of those structures didn't last for several months. He remembered constantly hearing about people dying due to their ceilings falling on them during his short spell as a mercenary.

Of course, that's not counting the huge number of people who died from other causes. Shinra always only cared about the people above the metal plate. Everyone below mattered less than cockroaches to them. And because of that neglect, only the smartest survived in this hellhole. The slums of Midgar truly was a land where the concept of natural selection thrived.

Despite this, however, the slums were not always about chaos and death. It always surprised Cloud how the people of the slums managed to create their own form of order here. And they did it without any help from Shinra, either. Perhaps, he thought, the slums of Midgar should serve as a reminder that people are capable of spreading goodness and order even in the darkest of times.

 _Wait, what the hell am I thinking?_ Cloud thought to himself as he shook his head, almost laughing at himself. _I shouldn't be glad that this place even existed at all._

The blond ruffled his own spiky hair, which continued to remain spiky. _Man, maybe I_ am _stressed out from that time traveling junk_. After rubbing his own temples, he grumbled to himself stressfully, _I definitely need a drink. A strong one while I'm at it._

Cloud began to search his own pockets. A sudden realization then hit him. _God damnit_ , he thought to himself as he bit his bottom lip. _I don't have any money_.

The blond rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache. _Jeez, damn it_ , he grumbled as he tried his best not to think about the pain. _So_ this _is that 'possible side effect of time traveling' thing that was mentioned_.

Thankfully, the headache wasn't getting any worse. Annoyingly, it wasn't going away, either. _So it's one of_ those _headaches, huh?_ Cloud grumbled to himself. _Splashing water on my face might do the trick. I should just-_

Upon realizing that there were very few places in the slums where clean water flowed, the blond thought to himself, _I'm beginning to remember just how shitty this place was. Conveniently, it's one of the few places I really didn't want to remember, too_. Out of utter annoyance, he kicked a little rock resting on the ground. The rock then hit a two-story building in front of him.

Without warning, the building came collapsing down and breaking apart like a giant Jenga tower. Cloud was even able to hear the nuts, bolts, and nails giving in, which caused the walls to make a strange popping noise before flying off into random directions. If this was a demolition job, everyone who watched would've applauded at the spectacularly destructive sight. Miraculously, none of the materials flew to Cloud, who was as still as a statue and was only able to stare at the destruction in utter shock. And in a matter of seconds, the building was now only a debris on the ground with dust rising from where the structure once stood.

Cloud stood as still as someone who just witnessed a UFO in the sky, staring at the debris and his jaw agape.

A minute later, the blond finally muttered, "Oh shit." He dashed to the debris and began to search for any people who might have been in the building.

After several minutes of searching through the pile of rubble, he realized that no one was in the building. A sense of relief began to wash over him until he realized that there was a strong possibility someone still owned the place.

 _I hate this place so much_ , Cloud let out with an angry sigh. _I really hope that the owner of this place is a complete jackhole._

* * *

An hour passed since the demolition man fled the scene. Confident in that he won't be caught by the owner of the now-destroyed building, the blond walked on.

The adventurer trekked through the maze-like slums, only to realize he made little progress. _…Where am I?_ he asked himself as he carefully observed his surroundings, hoping to find something he can recognize.

He quickly realized that attempting to recognize something in a place where everything looked the same was futile.

 _I guess I'll just be going forward then_ , Cloud told himself with no real plan in mind. After convincing himself, he began to do just that.

As the adventurer walked forward, he looked up to see the large unattractively-gray metal pizza covering the sky and exuding the feeling of gloom and confinement. _Looks like the city is still in one piece for now_ , Cloud thought, recalling the time when Shinra destroyed a whole sector of the city. _Shinra really were willing to kill anyone and anything in sight just for a few more bucks_ , he murmured as he tried to shake off the memory. _Damn monsters_.

Cloud knew that Shinra would do just that this fateful day. _Shinra's gonna destroy Sector 7 later today_ , he reminded himself. _My friends and I will meet up in Aerith's house and plan to rescue Aerith. While they're doing that, I will barge in and shit will go down._ Cloud nodded with a smile, satisfied at how detailed and fool-proof his plan leadership is probably unparalleled in this-

 _Wait, that's not good_ , Cloud realized, frowning at the thought that his carefully-thought-out plan was flawed. _They'll probably think I'm Shinra's secret weapon or agent or some bullshit like that_. After investing three more minutes into his plan, Cloud told himself proudly, _I'll just_ raise my arms in surrender _while I go in. That way, they'll think twice about attacking me-_

 _Oh wait, my past self will probably kill me regardless_ , Cloud mused as he chuckled. _I was insane at the time, so who knows what he'll do? Man, I was so out of it-_

 _I should seriously stop making fun of myself_ , the blond quickly cut off with a frown, feeling insulted by his own words meant for himself. He rubbed his temples as his head began to throb again.

 _Screw this_ , Cloud finally decided as he continued to walk on aimlessly. _I'll just worry about this later after finding Aerith's home. At this rate, I might not even find that place on time_.

Right as he finished talking to himself, the adventurer bumped into something tall. As he took a step back to see what he stumbled into, he noticed that it was some _one_ rather than some _thing_.

The large mystery man looked down at the shorter blond. The burly man was in a black leather jacket with nothing worn under it. His jeans were tattered. And, most importantly, the person looked rather menacing.

And, much to Cloud's surprise, there were two shorter men in rugged clothes who stood behind the large one. They weren't nearly as tall, but they did look like they were up to no good, evident from their shit-eating grin and glare.

When Cloud looked at the three suspicious men, he was filled with excitement and hope.

 _Please say it_ , the adventurer hoped silently.

One of the shorter men behind the tall one began to crack his knuckles efficiently while the other began to swing his metal bat back and forth. It was pretty evident that this wasn't the first time the three had been in this position. Almost as if it was a routine, the short man with a bat walked forward and said with an annoyingly high-pitched voice,

"Hand over your mon-"

Three minutes later, Cloud stood tall over the group of men crumpled up on the ground, all of them covered with various injuries. The three moaned in pain as they struggled to even move to wipe the blood off their bruised faces. The blond massaged his right wrist with a frown, disappointed that his wrist would become irritated by such a small-scale brawl. _Maybe I'm not as good of a fist fighter as Tifa_ , he thought with a smirk as he finished massaging his wrist. _I guess she was right on that one_.

The blond turned over to the defeated group of gangsters. They whimpered in pure fear when they caught the glimpse of his eyes.

"Can I take this, too?" Cloud inquired as politely as he could as he grabbed the metal bat that was lying on the ground. To the gangsters, it almost looked as if the bat, too, was fearful of the fighter.

Not even thinking twice, the owner of the bat stammered, "T-t-take it!"

"Thank you kindly," the adventurer responded with a smile as he prepared to walk away. He then suddenly stopped as he remembered something vital. "By the way," he began to ask again, "how do I get to Sector 7 from here?"

The taller gangster, still unable to get up to his feet, stuttered with a deep voice, "J-just g-g-g-go straight f-from h-h-here!"

"Thanks again," Cloud replied, satisfied with the new information. As he began to walk away with confidence, he also added as he waved a wad of bills, "Also, your 800 Gil will be spent on the greater good! Don't worry!"

The wounded gangsters didn't bother to give any form of reply. They just hoped to Gaia that they would never see that blond monster again.

* * *

Several minutes passed as the blond trekked through the godforsaken slums. Everywhere he looked, the scenery looked more or less the same. Same building structures, same style of paths, same everything. Even the stench was the same everywhere.

It was all just dirt and scraps of metal and rubber, which was still admittedly better than literal shit, Cloud reminded himself sarcastically.

At the very least, he knew where to go.

Also, having money surely beat _not_ having money.

The adventurer held out his newly acquired metal bat and inspected it like a professional weapon analyzer. From the looks of the rust on the bat, the old weapon was fairly aged and poorly treated. The small dents on the bat hinted that it has been used to hit solid objects, probably some skulls included. The adventurer made a firm grip on the worn leather straps on the handle only to find that they were about to be torn.

It was clear. The bat had about a week-worth of usage before giving in, Cloud judged as he stared meticulously at his weapon.

 _Hopefully, I can last a week with this cruddy thing_ , Cloud thought to himself as he swung the bat on the ground.

The impact felt incredibly strange.

Suddenly concerned, Cloud slowly lifted the bat to see anything strange.

The bat slightly dented and a tear formed at the dented area. It now looked like a giant metal boomerang that can't even return to its user.

… _Typical_ , the young man grumbled, not even feeling the energy to get mad. _I'll be lucky to last two days with this shitty thing_.

Looking again at the dented bat, Cloud sighed. This club certainly had seen better days. Cloud could already imagine it once being a shiny bat being owned by someone with not-so-violent intentions. Highly likely that the original owner used the bat to sport rather than sport _on_ someone else. It's also highly likely he or she chucked the thing away when it got too old to fulfill its purpose.

Maybe that's what happens to most people as well. Perhaps that's why many people resort to chaos, because they lost their purpose. Maybe, if they're given a real chance to find their purpose and live for it, they won't end up like this bat. There would be no use for chaos.

 _Or maybe I just need a really strong drink_ , Cloud thought to cut off his useless lines of thoughts. _The hell am I even thinking so much about this bat anyway? As if this headache was already bad enough. Maybe that time travel took a heavier toll on my mind than I thought._

The adventurer lifted his foot to kick a rock on the ground out of annoyance.

He immediately gave up on it as he remembered what happened the last time he did that.

 _This place makes me sick_ , the blond told himself again, his brows knitting together. _And the fact that I'm saying that sentence over and over again makes me sick, too_.

* * *

Cloud continued to walk for another hour. Slowly but surely, he got a really good feeling that he was near his destination. Things were finally beginning to look up for the adventurer.

And to make things better, the blond felt like he could recognize where he was now.

 _And it's not even a placebo effect like a few minutes earlier either!_ Cloud said with excitement as he began to legitimately recognize where he was. To an ordinary person, the surroundings may look the same, but Cloud was able to spot a few key details that he remembered the area by. The blond wanted to punch a wall out of excitement, a rare act he occasionally did that usually got people to stare at him with concern.

Soon, the adventurer ended up in a very familiar location.

He was in the train station. It was that same Sector 7 Station, the small roofless station with only one platform.

A feeling of nostalgia washed over the man. The feeling was refreshing, almost to the point it got rid of his annoying headache. The memories of the place flooded his mind; Cloud even saw a flashback of his life several years ago when Tifa met him in these parts of the slums.

The train station stood just as he remembered:

Shitty as hell.

… _There is no redeeming factor to this place whatsoever_ , Cloud told himself with a forced smile.

Before Cloud could celebrate for making this far without accidentally destroying another building, he noticed something very off near the train. It was a sight that instantly killed off any good feeling he currently had.

A figure was lying still on the platform.

The blond instinctively ran to where the being was, sensing something dreadful. It was that kind of chilling feeling that would make anyone's hair stand on end.

The adventurer reached the platform as fast as he could. When he got a closer look the figure, he felt his heart stop momentarily.

A woman soaked with blood lay face down on the cold stony floor of the station platform. A gruesome sight. Upon further observation, Cloud noticed that the back of the woman's clothing had several small tears revealing bullet wounds.

There were three of them across her back, blood oozing from all of them like a small fountain.

All the senses in Cloud's body was telling him to help her this instant. Anyone would be compelled to help in this situation. But, he remembered an important rule to this time travel that he was warned about before coming back to the past.

 _Do not interfere with the fate of others but Aerith._

The adventurer thought it would be easy to keep this rule. Until he saw this pitiful scene, at least.

"…C'mon Cloud, get a hold of yourself," the blond began to talk to himself as he tried to rip his gaze off the unconscious woman. "She's not Aerith. You have no business with her."

He could smell the blood from the woman's body. His enhanced sense of smell was not helping him ignore the hemorrhagic stench.

Unable to take his mind off the smell, Cloud slowly turned his sight back to the woman.

There was now more blood pouring out of her body. A pool of blood quickly formed around her, almost looking as if the red puddle wanted to drown its own host.

 _This would've been a lot easier if she was dead_ , he complained as he shut his eyes.

The blond tried his hardest not to think about the woman. _She's of no importance_ , he began to tell himself. _She's of no importance_. The young man began to repeat this to himself to the point it sounded like some form of chanting.

The adventurer began to take his foot of the ground and walk off the platform. He just needed to stay focused on his task and not screw up anything. That was all he needed to do.

Such an easy task, and yet, such a difficult one.

 _She's of no importance_ , he continued to tell himself, trying to dispel the image of the mortally wounded woman lying still on the ground, neglected by everyone.

Speaking of which…

"Where the hell are the fucking station guards?!" Cloud finally shouted in sheer frustration. This woman was only a minute or two away from dying, and conveniently, there were no guards around the area.

Not even a life form of any kind was around. The train station looked devoid of life. The place felt so barren that even time seemed to have abandoned this wretched place.

Truly, a remarkably shitty timing.

Cloud tried to stay focused. "Just leave her," he told himself aloud, realizing that he was at his wit's end. He tried to think of Aerith.

Thinking of the poor flower girl, he slowly walked off the bloody platform.

His mind, focused solely on Aerith. He meditated on her death, clinging onto the scene that motivated him to push forward, and equally importantly, not fuck up anything else that could cause time itself to implode.

Cloud began to run off the platform. He harshly reminded himself to save Aerith and no one else.

He wasn't going to royally screw up this golden opportunity over some random woman. That would be incredibly foolish.

He continued to think of Aerith.

He then remembered what terrible fate befell her.

…It was so quick and so sudden.

Before that moment, she looked at Cloud in the eye, filled with hope and reassurance.

And swiftly, when Sephiroth suddenly appeared and stabbed her in the back, she was gone. Gone with the dust and wind.

Fleeting.

…Regret filled Cloud's heart that fateful day. He remembered, he couldn't feel anything else that day.

…

…

Cloud stopped running away. He slowly turned around back to the train station.

…

That woman must have been robbed of her chance to live her life on this world. Instantly, like what happened to Aerith.

Only difference was that no one was around her. No one to try to help. No one to caress her body in sadness. No mourning.

She looked so cold, so alone.

Did she even have a family? Maybe even friends?

Would anyone in the future even imagine saving her with time travel?

…

"Fuck it. It's just one person, right?"

He pulled out his Phoenix Down and began to run back to the station as fast as he could. Cloud didn't even think of the possibility that this woman might have deserved to die like this.

Pity was such a strong feeling.

Only one thought firmly remained in his head. _Don't let her die_. It didn't have to be this way. She didn't need to die like _that_.

After running up to the platform, he crouched near the dying woman. There was so much blood lost. Cloud could almost feel her life slowly leaving her body.

The blond nervously breathed as if he was about to perform a major surgery and placed the fiery feather onto the woman's body. At that moment, it felt as if time around Cloud and the woman stopped. Everything felt absolutely still, but at the same time, so much seemed to have been happening.

The blond felt a warm light envelope around him and the lady. It was an extremely relaxing sensation that seemed to take all of his life's problems away. And at that moment, he could feel the lady's life returning to her body.

Her wounds began to slowly close as if a ghost gently knitted them shut. And with that finished, blood stopped pouring out, much to the adventurer's relief.

The process only took several seconds, but for Cloud, it felt like hours. He wanted this blissful moment to last for a little longer.

Soon afterward, the light disappeared. The warm sensation was gone, and time seemed to have resumed.

Most importantly, despite the wounds that once covered her and all the blood that poured out of her body, the unconscious lady started breathing again.

Her breathing was soft, but Cloud could hear the rhythm back in it. Her body seemed to grow warmer, too. She was not going to die, that was certain.

 _I'm probably gonna regret this_ , Cloud finally thought as he realized what he had just done. He could have potentially messed up the space-time continuum thing or whatever people called it. Whatever it was, he was worried as hell.

Well, at the very least, time did not implode and the slums still seemed to be barely standing as usual. Thankfully, the place did not blow up spectacularly as he imagined. That was one good sign nothing changed, the blond told himself.

 _I'm gonna at least see who the hell I saved_ , the adventurer told himself as he let out a sigh of deep concern. He gently turned over the unconscious woman to get a better look at her.

A sudden shock filled his mind and body when Cloud finally saw how the woman looked like.

Pale face, long brunette hair that flowed down below her waist, slender figure, flat red shoes, a purple wrap that covered her waist, a long-sleeved dark red dress…

She wasn't her. But for some reason, she strongly reminded him of the flower girl he was trying to save.

"Holy shit," the shocked adventurer blurted out, coughing as words failed to leave his mouth. His mind swirled as he struggled to stay focused. He felt as if his mind left his body momentarily, and returned only to leave again.

Cloud shook his head and rubbed his temples. Feeling his ability to think returning to him, he slowly looked at the unconscious woman again.

Despite being unconscious, she was definitely alive now, judging from her breathing. The lady did indeed have pale skin, probably paler than usual due to the near-death experience she just had. She was wearing a long-sleeved dark red dress that covered most of her body and a purple wrap that surrounded her waist. Cloud, however, noticed that she was bonier than average.

Cloud continued to inspect her out of curiosity. Her brown hair flowed down below her waist. She also had those familiar bangs and heart shaped face.

At this rate, he wouldn't be so surprised if this person had green eyes.

Speaking of which, the brunette still lay unconscious on the ground, Cloud finally realized, snapping himself back to reality.

 _I should find a place where this woman can rest properly_ , he reminded himself. After strapping the bat on his belt, the blond gently picked up the brunette and wondered where he can go.

The only inn nearby he could think of was the Honey Bee Inn. Cloud knew there were approximately ten thousand reasons going there was a remarkably bad idea.

With the inn option out of the way, the adventurer thought about going to Aerith's home. Maybe her adoptive mother, Elmyra, could help. She's a genuinely warmhearted person, after all.

 _Oh yeah, there's still that possibility my past self can kill me_ and _this lady_ , Cloud remembered grimly. _And I really don't want to test my luck while this woman is with me_.

The blond turned everywhere he could to find _anything_ that could help him and the unconscious brunette. Several ramshackle buildings nearby caught his attention.

There had to be at least _one_ person willing to help them, right? It was a kind of question that tempted fate, the worst kind of question anyone could ask in a prickly situation. But, Cloud still believed that _someone_ would not be a complete dick and help them.

Well, no, he didn't truly believe that. 95% of the people here were unwilling to provide assistance, to put it nicely. But, he still had _some_ luck up to this point; it was a chance he was willing to take.

Making up his mind, Cloud walked up to one of the buildings near the station with the brunette still resting in his arms. He noticed that the shelter had light seeping out of the window. After taking in a deep breath, he knocked on the metal-plated door.

Someone from the other side of the door shouted, "What d'ye want?!" From the sound of it, the voice belonged to some grouchy middle-aged man. Not a pleasant individual, and most definitely not a welcoming one.

Cloud cleared his throat and answered, "I have a friend who's injured and I was wondering if you can let us stay for a while?"

A small slider on the door suddenly slid open, revealing the eyes of the building owner. They looked pretty shady from Cloud's perspective. The eyes of the strange man stared at the blond, and then darted to the unconscious lady resting in the young man's arms.

Cloud didn't feel comfortable.

The man suddenly said with a strangely delighted voice, "That's a pretty friend you have there. Even the blood all o'er her's pretty."

The adventurer got all sorts of bad vibes at this point.

 _Yeah, fuck this place to all hell_ , Cloud thought assertively, fearing for the safety of the brunette. "Fuck off," the blond blurted out of frustration and kicked the door.

The impact of the kick was sent across the door directly to the creepy man on the other side. Cloud couldn't see it, but judging from the noise, the man collapsed backwards in pain, shouting obscenities as he rolled around the floor.

Hoping to get away from the creep zone, Cloud went a little further into the amalgamation of metal buildings. The place was much quieter and darker than the already quiet and dark town near the station. The area was eerie, but the blond felt as if he had better chances finding a resting spot here.

There was barely any light in the area. The only source of light was a lone lamppost that stood near Cloud. Other than that, the place seemed devoid of life.

Hoping for the best, the adventurer carefully knocked on the door of one of the buildings. Much to his surprise, the door slowly opened when his hand touched it.

An unlocked door. A possible sign that the place has been abandoned.

Cloud bit his bottom lip. With little certainty, he slowly walked in, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Darkness enveloped the two as Cloud walked in with the brunette still in his arms. As the adventurer's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he noticed that he was in a shoddy living room of sorts. It was a small room with a single torn-up couch and a small coffee table where an old radio sat on it. The dust that covered the whole room indicated that the place was long abandoned.

To his left, the adventurer saw a sink and a wooden dinner table. The window in front of the table offered a romantic view of trash and darkness outside the shelter. The room was undoubtedly a kitchen.

Cloud walked across the living room and discovered a stairway that led upstairs. To check if the place truly had no owner, the blond asked with a raised volume, "Hello?"

The only response he got was a soft echo of his own voice.

 _Yup, no one's here alright_ , Cloud told himself as he walked up the stairs. It creaked whenever he took a step, making him remember that the place was run down and might collapse any second.

Several steps later, the creaking noise stopped, much to Cloud's relief. At the very least, the place wasn't going to kill him any time soon.

At the end of the stairway, the adventurer found an open doorway that led to what appeared to be a large bedroom. The place was just about as big as the living room and the kitchen combined.

Two windows allowed what little light there was outside to seep into the room. A large queen-sized bed and a drawer rested at the other end while a small work table and a large chair were situated near the windows. Other trinkets and goods lay scattered against the wall, implications that showed the unorganized nature of the previous owner of the place. On the other wall, there were a wardrobe and a doorway that led to what seemed to be a bathroom.

Just like the first floor, dust covered everything in this room.

 _This place is in serious need of spring cleaning_ , Cloud thought to himself as he inspected the room. He then looked at the bed, realizing at how dusty it was.

 _Eh, I can do this_ , the adventurer told himself with a shrug. He then walked up to the chair and carefully placed the brunette there, making sure that she was properly sitting on it.

When the brunette showed no signs of toppling off the chair, Cloud made a thumbs-up and quickly walked to the bed.

He pulled the blue blanket and the pillows and found that the bed sheet was clean enough for a person to lie down on. Perfect.

Cloud quickly went over back to the unconscious lady, picked her up, and placed her gently back onto the blanket-less bed. As he did so, the adventurer made sure to take off the woman's shoes.

The brunette was finally lying down on something soft for once. Everything looked fine and dandy except for the fact that most of the front part of her body was still covered in her own blood. Not really a conventional spot for blood to be in.

The blond ran to the bathroom to look for a towel. The one hanging next to the sink and toilet was far too dusty for use, so he looked through the drawers to find one. Luckily for Cloud, several towels rested in a cabinet drawer near the sink, and it was clean enough for him to use. He also procured a small plastic bowl that he could use to store clean water in and a new bar of soap.

The only problem is if the plumbing in this house actually offered clean water. With nervousness, Cloud turned the handle on the sink and prepared for the moment of truth.

Miraculously, clean water began to pour out of the spout. It was so relieving to Cloud that it felt as if holy water started gushing out of pure silver. Gaia had not left him after all.

Before doing anything else, the blond washed his hands and face, which helped him get over his headache a bit. It was a simple but truly refreshing moment.

The adventurer quickly rinsed the bowl before filling it with water. He quickly went back to the unconscious lady with the full bowl, several towels, and a soap in his hands. The blond excitedly drenched one of the towels and prepared to clean the blood off the woman's body.

A simple problem suddenly dawned upon him, making him freeze on spot.

He had to take her clothes off.

"You gotta be shitting me," Cloud grumbled out loud, slumping in defeat.

 _Maybe it won't be as bad as I'm making it out to be_ , the blond told himself, trying to think of a way that he can go about this without making this weird.

He failed to think of another way.

 _Yeah_ , Cloud sighed as he rubbed his temples. _It's definitely going to be as bad as I'm making it out to be. And this stupid headache is not helping either._

So, this was how his luck was going to run out. He did have a funny feeling that everything seemed to go the way he wanted it to go. From getting free money and a bat to finding a free place to stay for a moment, everything flowed rather well.

Now, he had to take off a woman's dress and clean the blood off her body.

Just thinking that gave Cloud shivers.

Trying to stall the task for a bit, the adventurer stood up and slowly walked over to the wardrobe. In it, he found a black tracksuit shirt and pants. After observing it, he found that it was a bit small for him, so he quickly dispelled the thought of ever wearing it.

To stall even further, Cloud firmly decided that the place was too dark and light was seriously needed. Upon noticing a lamp that rested on the drawer near the bed, he slowly walked to it and pulled the switch.

Much to the blond's surprise, the lamp turned on, illuminating the whole room with its soft warm orange light. Looking at the place now, the room felt very welcoming and comfortable. He also got a clearer view on how dusty the place was in general.

 _You know, this place isn't entirely too bad_ , Cloud said to himself, admittedly impressed at how a building in the Midgar slums can exude such welcoming sensation to its visitors. _I wonder who lived here before I intruded the place…_

His eyes then fell upon the unconscious brunette, still resting on the bed comfortably as if she was sleeping on it to begin with.

The blood still covered her front.

… _Well_ , Cloud weakly said, preparing the towels and soap, _I guess I can't push it back further_.

* * *

Cloud couldn't believe how he was able to do it. He successfully cleaned the blood off the woman's dress-less body with his eyes shut. It was flawlessly and expertly done; he knew it for certain. Maybe his luck hadn't run out as he originally thought.

The blond took the liberty to dress the woman up in the black tracksuit he found in the wardrobe. It was a bit large for her, but it wasn't too bad. He also decided to clean the blood stains off the dress and dried it with a spare hairdryer he found in the bathroom. The more time the blond spent in this house, the more he realized that the building was in good shape.

It's as if the owner was suddenly taken away while he led a normal life here.

He had a nagging feeling that something terrible happened to the person. Whatever it was, though, he knew he would not be able to help in the end. He decided not to think too deeply about it.

Cloud looked at his wristwatch.

11:03 A.M.

 _Eh, I still got hours left_ , the blond said to himself. _She should also wake up before then, so I should be fine_.

Wanting to pass the time, Cloud took the woman's dried dress and decided to knit the tears on the dress shut with a sewing kit he found in the wardrobe. The blond wasn't really the best knitter around. No, that title went to his girlfriend, Tifa. Without her, he would have never known how to even grab a needle properly. He may not have been the best, but these tears on this dress? That much, Cloud could handle. Easy as pie.

Minutes later, the blond finished his knitting job. He held out the dress and inspected its backside.

It looked clean and new. No bumps or unnatural creases whatsoever.

 _Another point for Cloud the knitter_ , the blond joked with a smile as he neatly folded the dress and placed it on the chair he dusted a while ago. _A job well done_.

Fortunately for the young man, his headache seemed to be leaving him, as well. He no longer felt any pain in his head. Maybe his sense of accomplishment eradicated the cranial pain. Or, it could be that the side effect of time travel was finally wearing off. Whatever it was, Cloud didn't bother to think too much about it. The headache was gone, and nothing else regarding it mattered.

The blond looked around the bedroom once more. The place looked lively compared to a while ago when he first entered it. He made sure to close the window blinds just in case. The lamp continued to light up the whole room. Most importantly, the brunette rested on the bed with no blood covering her.

 _She's taking her sweet time waking up_ , Cloud thought, realizing that she wasn't gaining consciousness as fast as other people would. Realizing that he didn't spend much time at the first floor yet, he decided to go downstairs while he waited for the brunette to wake up.

Before leaving the room, Cloud took another glance at the unconscious lady.

She was still silently resting on the bed, gently breathing, and lying still. It looked as if she was just sleeping blissfully, unaware of what just happened to her just a while ago.

The adventurer still couldn't get rid of the thought that she looked so much like Aerith.

Shaking his head to stop his train of thoughts, Cloud walked downstairs and entered the dark living room. The place was pitch black, and the blond found it difficult to navigate through the room without a light.

Without question, power was running through this place, so Cloud should be able to turn on the light. Thinking where he could find a switch, he slowly walked over to the front door, hoping not to rip over anything.

He reached the door, and, just as he had thought, he was able to feel a switch next to the doorway. Without second thoughts, he flicked the switch.

Nothing happened.

… _That's weird_ , the blond thought, frowning in disappointment. He tried flicking the switch again. Nothing changed, and the darkness still loomed.

As his eyes adapted to the darkness once more, Cloud looked around to check for anything peculiar. When his eyes turned to the ceiling, it began to make sense.

The lightbulb attached to the ceiling was broken.

 _I wonder if there's a lamp around here_ , the blond wondered, his eyes scanning the whole room. His thorough search paid off when he found another small lamp resting on a small stool at the corner of the room.

 _Jackpot_ , Cloud thought victoriously, a smile spreading across his face. He carefully walked over to the stool and inspected the lamp.

Other than being dusty, it was in fine shape. The cord also seemed to be connected.

The adventurer found a knob on the lamp and quickly rotated it to turn it on.

The whole room was illuminated.

Before Cloud could celebrate, he found something very peculiar on one of the walls.

… _Whoa_.

On the wall, a big "2" was scribbled with what appeared to be black ink. It certainly did not look like a décor at all.

The blond was nearly sure at this point. Something terrible happened to the owner of this place.

 _Well_ , he thought with a sigh, _as I told myself before, nothing I can do about this one._

Just for precaution, the adventurer closed the window blinds. There weren't any other interesting objects in the living room. A torn-up couch with a metal spring protruding out of the seat and an old coffee table with a radio on it. Maybe he'll turn it on later for a moment before leaving this place just for memory's sake. It'll be fun to tune into that dumb radio drama Tifa listened to when she was bored back in her AVALANCHE days.

It wasn't that she enjoyed it, though. She thought it was stupid, too, and would laugh at it while listening to it. Tifa really enjoyed talking shit about it with Cloud years later when they started to grow much closer. Maybe now, the blond will get an opportunity to listen to it himself.

 _Why do you have to be such a great friend, Tifa?_ Cloud thought to himself happily.

The adventurer soon walked to the kitchen. Because of the light that was coming from the living room, he now got a better view of the whole place. The room wasn't too bad aside from the dust. A dining table with two chairs stood in front of the window, a sink with several clean but dusty plates next to it, a toaster near the plates, and a fridge at the farthest wall.

 _I really hope the fridge has some food in it_ , the blond hoped as he walked to the refrigerator. He opened it, doubting that there would be any food in it, only to be pleasantly surprised.

 _Well, what do you know?_ Cloud thought with a smile as he looked at the fridge's contents.

In it were several bottles of water, a loaf of white bread in a plastic wrapping, and a bag of raisins.

Cloud was not disappointed. It was unfortunate that there wasn't any jam for the bread, but he wasn't going to complain. Maybe he could catch a good lunch before heading out.

 _Right_ , the adventurer thought with a satisfied nod. _I'll help that woman get back to her feet, eat lunch with her, and then we'll go our different ways. I'll also tell her not to go to Sector 7; her dying after me doing all this for her would fucking suck._

The plan for the day was all good. Great, in fact. _Yeah_ , Cloud continued with a smile as he closed the blinds of the kitchen window. _Things will definitely continue to go smoothly if I keep this up. I just need to make sure that my mental past self doesn't decapitate me on sight when I meet him and his crew at Aerith's home. Now,_ that _would_ truly _fucking suck._

Cloud suddenly heard gasping at the second floor.

The blond froze momentarily, and it struck him that the unconscious woman might be awake.

He bolted for the stairway and ran upstairs, his heart racing for reasons unknown to him. This wasn't the first time he saved anyone from the brink of death, so why did he feel so excited by the thought of it now? Perhaps it was just another strange side effect of time travel or maybe saving this woman just made him feel as if he saved Aerith? He didn't bother to answer that question as he continued to run.

Cloud reached the bedroom and stopped to catch his breath. After settling down, he looked at the woman on the bed.

The lady was finally awake. She was sitting up against the bed board, breathing heavily as if she just woke up from a nightmare. Sweat covered her face, her expression looking helpless and scared. She was hugging herself and her eyes were darting around the room. She looked as if she just woke up in a monster's cave.

Then, the woman's eyes locked on to Cloud's.

They were green.

Just like hers.

Cloud felt very uneasy. The similarities were uncanny at this point. She looked so much like Aerith, there was no denying it. If the woman claimed to be the flower girl's sister, the blond would believe it with no second thoughts. The two looked _that_ similar.

The two stared at each other, their eyes not blinking. Both remained as still as a statue.

After a minute-long silence that felt like hours, Cloud finally spoke up and broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Are you okay?"

The brunette remained motionless, continuing to stare at the adventurer's eyes. They were wide open and looked as if she was peering into Cloud's very soul.

It was a very uncomfortable gaze that made Cloud feel powerless for reasons unknown to him. The gaze just felt so powerful.

The woman finally opened her mouth to say something. But, no words came out. She continued to move her mouth, as if she was trying to say something. However, all Cloud could hear was silence.

The brunette slowly began to tremble, her hands grasping on the bed sheet. Her mouth was still open, but no sound came out from it.

She started to breathe at an unnatural pace. Her hands were grasping on to the bed sheets harder. She began to tremble.

The woman looked as if she wanted to scream and cry.

Cloud didn't know what to do. He was still motionless, trying to think of something. But, his mind failed him.

For some reason, when he looked at the brunette's frightened green eyes, he felt as if his luck had just run out. For real, this time.

 _I got a bad feeling about this_ , the blond grimly said to himself.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

Hello, all. It's been a long while. Sorry I have been out of the scene for so long, and I'll apologize in advance that I'll probably be inactive once more soon. It's been getting busy and I've been struggling to find the time and motivation to continue with this fic.

With that being said, I think it's important that I answer the question you old readers have:

"What happened to the 5 chapters that were originally uploaded?"

In truth, as time passed, I came to really dislike how I wrote those chapters. The whole story seemed disorganized and I knew that it was about to become a bizarre mess. So, before things got worse, I decided to do something I really didn't want to do in the past: rewrite this story from scratch.

My writing may still be far from perfect, but I can say with confidence that it's much better than before.

So, with that out of the way, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. If not, let me know why in the comments. I'll gladly take your criticism and try to work with it.


	2. Chronological Error

"Video again, Gast? You just got done taping!"

The brunette had to give it to the persistence of her scientist husband. Ever since they had a child, he was always preoccupied recording videos of their baby daughter. The man certainly was attached to her. The wife swore it was an addiction of his at this point.

Gast looked over his shoulder, his hands still hovering over the keyboard and noticing his annoyed wife standing next to him. He was looking at one of his many computers in the room, preparing to record his daughter some more.

Until the brunette showed up to chastise him, as usual.

"…C'mon, Ifalna. Please don't say it that way," the scientist mumbled sheepishly as he smoothed his jet-black hair. "It's our lovely daughter, both yours and mine! Don't you want to capture her childhood on videotape?"

This again.

The woman sighed. She knew how this discussion would flow, and she grew tired of it.

Ifalna shook her head in concern and interjected, "If you keep doting on her like that, she won't grow up to be strong…" She remembered telling this to her husband several times before. Knowing this man, though, he would refuse to change his ways and continue about recording their child.

Gast sighed, beginning to adjust his square glasses as if he wanted to say something in response. But, as usual, he waited for his wife to say everything she had in mind, first.

"…Aerith is different from the other children," the brunette said in a quiet voice, almost in a whisper. Doubting that Gast was even listening to her, she rubbed her forehead and continued, "Just think what dangers would await her."

"Don't say that," her husband nearly exclaimed, carrying a confident expression. "I know Aerith is different. I know this family is different. But, that doesn't matter to me. I will do everything in my power to protect you and our precious daughter." He then walked up to his wife and said gently, "You and Aerith are all I have left. I'll see to it that both of you stay safe till the very end."

Ifalna could sense the genuine care in Gast's voice; it felt warm, welcoming, loving. It made her feel reassured that nothing terrible will truly happen to them. It felt so comforting, something that she rarely felt before meeting this wonderful man.

Of course, Gast told her this all ready. Five times, in fact, counting this moment.

But, every time he reassured her of the same thing, she couldn't help but feel better.

Perhaps everything _will_ start looking up for and her family, after all.

Ifalna smiled.

Gast smiled back. "Feeling better?" he asked as he hugged his wife.

"All thanks to you, darling," the brunette whispered into her husband's ear as she hugged him.

The two remained still, hugging each other. Ifalna couldn't help but enjoy it. The warmth coming from her husband's body surrounded the lady. It felt so snugly and protective. Whenever Gast hugged her like this, she would usually wish that time stopped at least for a moment.

Maybe the woman was being overly cheesy with these thoughts.

It didn't matter. She and her husband both enjoyed it. That was all that really mattered in the end.

The two slowly released each other, but both continued to stand awfully close. Ifalna and Gast looked at each other in the eye, smiling.

The scientist adjusted his glasses and made a suspicious cough, hinting that he was planning to do something. After making up his mind, he then slowly and gently placed his hands on his wife's shoulders.

The brunette knew exactly what he was thinking. She made a smirk before placing her hands on her husband's shoulders.

The two stared at each other for a moment, both warmly looking at one another. Whatever they planned to do, they were fully prepared. And they were going to enjoy it as much as possible and no one would stop them.

Gast and Ifalna began to lean to one another as they slowly closed their eyes.

Slowly, but surely.

Their lips were so close.

 _Knock knock._

A sudden knocking on the door rudely interrupted the two, bringing them back to reality.

The scientist and his wife stepped back in surprise, and in sheer disappointment.

Gast was flabbergasted and beyond annoyed. "Who could that- I was just about to-", he stuttered, failing to gain is composure as he nervously fidgeted with his glasses.

Ifalna bit her bottom lip, covering her face with both of her hands. She could feel the heat rising to her face. That was some incredible timing, she thought. Horribly incredible timing.

"Damn!" the scientist angrily exclaimed, slapping his forehead angrily. "What rude timing! We were just about to have our… 'private time'… together!"

Private time?

The brunette lowered her hands and gave her husband a smirk. "'Private time', you say?" she asked him as she crossed her arms. "That's a new one."

"Better than the words _you_ used to describe it," Gast snapped back with a glare. "I still sincerely hope Aerith didn't hear you when you said that."

"Hey, I made sure she didn't hear it," Ifalna reassured with a smile. "Besides, even if she did, she's not even a month old. There's no way she can remember."

Before Gast could respond, the person behind the door knocked again.

The scientist glared at the door as if it was sentient and causing them serious trouble. "Whoever is on the other side of that door, that person isn't taking a hint," he murmured in annoyance, adjusting his glasses.

Ifalna shook her head, upset that their "private time" wasn't going to happen now. "I'll send them away," she said in an annoyed tone before walking to the front door.

Gast huffed in response as he crossed his arms.

The brunette unlocked the locks on the metal door and opened the door slightly. Ice cold wind began to seep through the bright opening, giving her a slight chill. Snow began to slap her nose, causing her to scratch it. "Who is it?" she asked, squinting to see through the white fog.

A tall figure suddenly appeared in the crease. His brown eyes wide open in a sinister way, a Caucasian man whispered, " _Knock knock_."

Ifalna instantly knew.

Shinra.

They found her and her family.

The brunette tried to pull the door shut, shouting at her husband, "It's them!"

Before Gast could respond in any way, Ifalna let go of the door, unable to shut the door as it was suddenly swung open from the other side. The woman nearly fell to the floor, but her husband was reflexive enough to catch her before helping her back up to her feet.

The two slowly looked up to look at the open doorway, horror making their mind go blank.

The loud harsh noise of the winter wind filled the entire room, making it sound as if a banshee just entered the place. Snow began to slowly pile at the doorstep.

At the doorway, three figures stood tall, staring directly at Ifalna and Gast, the brunette shivering in her husband's arms. Two of the tall figures on the sides held rifles in their arms, both wearing heavy gray coats. The shorter figure in the middle also wore a coat, but did not carry any weapon. The middle person adjusted his glasses in a sinister manner while the other two followed behind him.

As the three began to enter the place, Gast quickly pulled Ifalna behind him and stood tall in front of the trio of intruders. The woman could feel her husband trembling, but he continued to hold a brave expression.

The shortest of the trio looked around the place as if to inspect the area. The whole place looked like a slightly run-down lab. The computers, machinery, and even the metal walls looked rather antiquated. After finishing observing the room and spotting the brunette hiding behind a man, he chuckled in an evil manner before asking, "I've been searching for you, Cetra. It was 'Ifalna', yes?" He then noticed the man in front of her. "Professor Gast!" he exclaimed. "Long time no see, old friend."

Mustering up the courage, Gast finally spoke, keeping his eye on his archrival scientist, "…Hojo, how did you know?"

Upon hearing the question, Hojo sighed as he adjusted his glasses, looking as if he was recalling something unpleasant. "Believe me," he stated solemly as he turned back to the scientist in front of him, "I had to turn over a stone or two to find you."

Ifalna's eyes darted from the mad scientist to what appeared to be two soldiers behind him. She noticed that the person on the left was taller than the one on the right. He even had a sinister expression, looking like a starving wolf that spotted a cornered prey. The evil looking man was also wearing a blue cap and holding a large crude machine gun.

The shorter soldier on the right had a serious, unreadable expression. He had slightly pale skin, sharp gray eyes, and short blond hair. In his arms, he carried what looked like a sniper. Upon noticing the woman's gaze, he stared back at her.

The brunette looked away, fear growing within her.

As Hojo looked at Ifalna, he stated pensively, "Two year. For two years, I searched for this test subject." A sinister toothy grin formed on his face, continuing, "But now, it seems that I will have _two_."

Gast held his breath upon hearing this. " _Two_? You mean… _Aerith_?"

The mad scientist chuckled. "Aerith, hmm?" he asked with a smirk as he stroked his chin. "I'll admit, that's a nice name."

 _No_ , Ifalna thought as she looked at the ground, _not Aerith_. There was no escape, she realized. She and Gast couldn't fight back. If they did, all of them would die.

Unless…

Hojo only needed a single Cetra.

Ifalna finally moved, breaking her motionless stature. She quickly walked in front of Gast and kneeled before the mad scientist.

If she surrendered, the rest of her family didn't need to go.

Shocked by what was going on, Gast, wide-eyed, blurted, "Ifalna, what are you doing?!"

The wife ignored him and said, "Please, Aerith has nothing to do with this. I'll go with you if you promise not to hurt anyone else."

Hojo leaned forward and looked at Ifalna in the eye. With a smirk, he replied, "I need _both_ of you for my experiment."

Chills ran down the brunette's spine. Her eyes widened in sheer terror. She opened her mouth to say something, anything. But, her words failed her, and nothing but gasps came out.

Hojo noticed a camera hanging on a wall. "Jess, destroy that camera," he commanded as he pointed at it.

"Finally, some damn action!" the taller soldier shouted in twisted excitement as he shot an unnecessary amount of bullets at the camera, tearing it into pieces.

All Gast and Ifalna could do was cower in fear, the piercing sound of the machine gun making their ears go deaf.

The shredded camera fell to the floor with a loud thud. Several sparks popped out of the machine before it fizzed out.

As Jess laughed in satisfaction, a baby was heard crying in the distance.

Ifalna's blood froze.

Hojo crossed his arms, smirking in victory. "Ah, it seems like my second test subject is crying," he murmured. "…What's the name, Elith? Elis?"

Jess turned to the professor and asked with a toothy grin, "How about I take the prize for you, prof?"

"Go right ahead," the mad scientist said with a wave of his hand.

Just when the crazy soldier began to walk to search for Aerith, Gast suddenly jumped at the much larger man and struggled to stop him.

"The hell you think you're doing, dumbass?" Jess exclaimed, surprised that some puny looking scientist would dare try to stop him.

"Ifalna!" Gast shouted in desperation as he tried to hold back the machine gun-wielding soldier, "take Aerith and run!"

Hearing this, Ifalna immediately stood up, knowing what she must do.

As Jess raised his arm to punch Gast away, and before the woman could make a run for Aerith, both heard a gunshot.

It was such a loud piercing noise. It did not compare with Jess's machine gun. The single noise was so loud, Ifalna only felt pain in her ears. She collapsed to the floor.

The Cetra turned around to see what happened.

The blond man with a sniper rifle shot a bullet to the ceiling. Smoke exited the tip of the large gun, making a hissing noise.

Ifalna didn't know what was going on anymore. Everything seemed to blur.

The woman noticed the blond slowly aiming the gun directly at her husband, his gaze not moving away from her husband.

She was certain he began to say something to Gast. But, all his words sounded muffled.

Before the brunette could respond or make out any of this, she heard another ear-piercing gun fire.

Blood splattered all over her as she noticed that her husband was shot directly in the chest.

Gast fell to the floor, lifeless. Blood poured out of the large hole in his chest like a bird bath. He showed no signs of struggle. No breath coming out of his blood-filled mouth.

Ifalna was dazed, but she knew what just happened.

They killed her husband.

The Cetra wanted to scream. She tried to scream as loud as she could. She couldn't think straight anymore. Shewanted those three murderers to die.

She wanted Hojo to die. He just took everything away from her. That evil bastard. How could he do this without any remorse? He needed to die in the most violent way possible. Throwing him to the pits of hell would be too forgiving. She wanted him to feel her pain tenfold. Hundredfold. Those two dogs with him needed to burn. Slowly and steadily. All their senses need to feel the flames slowly eating away their skin and bones. They needed to be torn apart, put together, and torn apart again. They needed to be tortured and be kept alive. They needed to be crushed and grinded into ground meat. Their bodies must be fed to demons. She wanted them alive so that they can continue to feel the pain in their tortures forever. They deserved to be thrown into the ocean so that they can drown and be crushed by the pressure of the deep sea they must be stabbed to death by a million spears and be squeezed so that blood can pour out of all of their holes like a sponge they must be eaten by cannibals and die the most humiliating and horrible death they must all go to hell and receive eternal punishment they must die they must bleed they must starve they must perish they must be torn they must break they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must they must

She suddenly noticed another figure standing at the doorway.

She gasped for air.

Ifalna inhaled, trying to catch a breath.

She was on a bed, sweating and gasping. The world became clearer as the blur went away. The ringing in her ears seemed to grow quieter until it disappeared. The woman frantically looked around, her eyes quickly darting from one place to another as if she saw a fly zipping around the place. She noticed that the three intruders had vanished, completely out of sight. For some strange reason, her home looked completely different.

The room felt smaller and darker. Gast's lab equipment were no longer present.

The Cetra also realized that the bed she was on looked different. It was smaller and less comfortable than before.

Ifalna then noticed someone standing at a doorway.

It was a man in a hoodie, with some crazy spiky blond hair. He stood absolutely still, staring at her.

The brunette froze as she stared back, her green eyes wide open with daze.

The two stared at each, their eyes not blinking. Both remained as still as a statue.

After a minute-long silence that felt like hours, the blond finally spoke up and broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Are you okay?"

Okay?

 _Am I okay?_ the brunette questioned herself, wanting to know the answer, as well.

Was she okay? She slowly remembered what happened to her in the past. She recalled that today was a different time.

She no longer lived with Gast. He died seven years ago when Hojo and his men invaded their home. She saw it with her own eyes and remembered it crystal clear to this day.

She lost so much that day. Her husband, her freedom, her life. Nearly everything, taken from her at once. Gaia had left her.

The only reason the woman tried so hard to survive Hojo's "experiments" on her was because of Aerith.

And now, Aerith was gone.

Everything she had was gone.

Her being okay was the least of her worries. Everything was gone. What was she supposed to do now?

Tears began to swell up in her eyes.

Ifalna sobbed. She tried to cover her eyes, to stop the tears from flowing down her face. But, the tears didn't stop coming out.

The Cetra tried to say something, but she choked and coughed. She just sobbed, making incoherent noise.

Then the brunette felt someone gently tap on her shoulder.

"It's all right," the man said in a quiet voice, trying to calm her down. "It's going to be all right."

All right?

The woman saw everyone she loved taken from her. Everything she owned burned before her. The future she might have had utterly destroyed. She had nothing left.

She was a dead woman walking.

And this person had the nerve to say that she was going to be all right?

"BULLSHIT!" Ifalna suddenly exclaimed, glaring at the blond with frustration.

The man took several steps back, taken by surprise. It looked as if he wanted to say something, seeing how he was opening his mouth.

Before he ever got to say anything, however, the brunette shouted, "You know NOTHING!" She suddenly grabbed a pillow and began to swing it at the man.

Repeatedly getting hit in the head, the blond stuttered, "Ow… ow… OW- OW!" Feathers began to hover around the young man's head, more appearing each time the Cetra's pillow hit him.

"Holy shi- Miss, stop!" the blond blurted as he tried to grab the pillow when it came for his head. He failed to do so; there were so many feathers in his vision. Finally giving up grabbing the pillow out of the woman's hand, he backed off, getting out of her range.

Her anger not dissipating, the Cetra threw the pillow at the man as hard as she could.

Ifalna didn't see if it actually hit him, because the moment she did so, she lay back on the bed, her face on the bed sheet. She began to sob again.

No thoughts really passed through her mind. The woman only felt like crying, and she did so. The brunette continued to cry, wishing that doing so would wash her sorrows away. But, she knew it never would.

The Cetra felt the young man approaching her slowly. Despite continuing to cry on the bed sheet, she noticed that he placed the pillow back on the bed.

She quickly grabbed the pillow and began to cry into it.

* * *

Minutes passed and Ifalna finally calmed down. She was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard and staring blankly at the wall on the other side.

Absolutely nothing was in the brunette's mind. The world around her felt like a dream. A dream she was not going to wake up from. She was going to be stuck in this hell with no way out.

She suddenly heard someone clear his throat.

It was that spiky-headed blond man.

"Hi," he finally said with a smile, waving his hand. "My name is Cloud."

* * *

 **CHAPTER II**

 **CHRONOLOGICAL ERROR**

* * *

The word rang Ifalna's mind like a noise echoing in a cavern.

Cloud.

Like the puffy things in the sky?

"…That's a funny name," Ifalna mused aloud, her expression still dull, looking devoid of life.

Cloud looked pleasantly surprised and absolutely disappointed at the same time.

"…I'm glad you're finally not shouting and me," the blond murmured with a frown, "but did you really have to say _that_?"

 _Oh_ , the brunette thought. _I said that out loud_. "My apologies," she said, trying to be polite to him at the very least.

Cloud chuckled at the comment, to which Ifalna frowned at. Not noticing this, he continued, "No need to say it like that to me. I'm not so comfortable with formalities anyway."

This person was disarmingly nice to her. The politeness felt foreign to the brunette. She couldn't remember the last time she was ever spoken to like a human being. Admittedly, it felt refreshing, a sensation that nearly made her smile. Maybe, the Cetra could trust this Cloud person.

Wait, what was she thinking?

Ifalna remembered. Shinra were not to be trusted no matter what. They had crafty agents, Turks, who knew too well how to take their targets by surprise. Disarming them with kindness was one of the many common tactics they used.

The woman thought she was foolish for trusting this undercover agent for even a moment. She had to be strong and smart to survive this horrible place.

The Cetra remained seated on the bed and looked around to see exactly what place she was in. The room looked like an average ordinary bedroom. It had a wardrobe, a drawer near the bed she was on, a lamp, and a bunch of random objects scattered on the edges of the room. There were two windows. There were also two doorways. One seemed to lead to what appeared to be a bathroom, and the other lead to what looked like a stairway that led to a lower floor.

Cloud seemed to have noticed her observing the room. "Eh, it's not much," he mumbled as he sheepishly scratched his head before opening the blinds on the windows to look outside. "It's probably one of the better buildings in these slums, though. I can assure you of that."

The slums.

Ifalna looked what was outside the room through the windows. Darkness blocked the view, but she could make out the strange shapes of the disheveled buildings and a giant metal ceiling that covered the entire sky.

The Cetra slowly remembered where she really was. The slums beneath Midgar.

"An absolute eyesore, don't you think?" Cloud asked as he, too, looked outside the window. "I don't know about you, but this place is in some _serious_ need for makeover."

The brunette didn't respond. She turned to stare at the other end of the room once again.

The blond looked slightly dejected, scratching his head sheepishly as he tried to force a smile. "Ah, right, I nearly forgot," he began again, looking as if he remembered something. "Lunch is nearly ready. I'll be back shortly." With that said, he quickly ran down the stairs, leaving the woman to herself in this small room.

The whole place grew incredibly quiet. The only thing she could hear was her own soft breathing. She was alone once again.

Ifalna forgot how much she hated that feeling. She wanted someone, anyone, beside her. As long as it helped her get rid of this dreaded feeling of loneliness.

The woman realized that talking to, well, _hearing_ the blond talk kind of helped. It certainly felt nice to finally hear someone talk to her with some form of respect. The brunette liked it more than she wanted to admit.

No.

No, she didn't. This 'Cloud' character was most likely a Turk. She should not forget that possibility. He's just trying to disarm her so that he can catch her by surprise. It was common knowledge for anyone who knew the existence of the Turks.

A minute later, Cloud came up with a plate of three toasts neatly stacked on it and a bottle of water in his hands. "I brought you some lunch," the blond said with a smile as he placed them on the drawer next to her. "It's not much, but I hope it's enough to fill your stomach at the very least."

Ifalna turned her head to look at the plate and the bottle. The bottle of water looked as if it came straight out of a fridge. The warm toasts on the plate looked rather delicious, all three of them looking brown with crunchiness. Her mouth watered at the sight of the food. Her stomach felt excited by the thought of eating real food in years.

Wait a minute.

That food could be drugged. Obvious Turk strategy for kidnapping. No way she would fall for such an old trick.

Ifalna tore her gaze off the food looked away, her body nearly betraying her. She made extra effort to stare at the boring wall in front of her, ignoring the wonderful smell that entered her nostrils.

The blond looked concerned, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

Ha! He certainly didn't expect her to not fall for his dumb trick. What did he think she was? Stupid?

Rubbing his temples, the young man said, "I'll come back with my lunch. Be right back." With that said, he exited the room and walked downstairs.

The Cetra could hear the footsteps growing quieter and quieter.

When the brunette couldn't hear the man anymore, she knew that if she wanted to escape, this was the time to do so. She just knew this kind of opportunity would not show up again if she missed this chance.

When the woman tried to move her body, though, she realized just how tired she was. The Cetra had trouble moving in general. She had no energy to even get out of the bed.

She was too exhausted to escape, Ifalna realized. And even if she _did_ manage to get out of the house, she knew that she would not last a minute out there in the slums by herself with so little energy left.

The Cetra eventually gave up on escaping. She slumped on the bed, feeling defeated.

An image of the dejected looking blond popped into her mind.

He was much friendlier than she thought. Maybe, just maybe, he really wasn't a Turk, and he just wanted to help her out. Surely, there were still people out there willing to offer kindness to others.

Ifalna then turned to look at the toasts. They still looked delicious.

The food tempted the woman to eat it, her stomach growling in anticipation. She began to realize just how famished she was.

…Perhaps a bite wouldn't hurt so much...

Ifalna sat up and slowly grabbed the plate. Holding the dish near her face, the woman carefully grabbed the toast on the top.

The texture felt so familiar. It was slightly rough and hard. Tiny crumbs fell off the food from the small movements she made.

Slowly, The Cetra opened her mouth and nibbled at the tip of the cooked bread.

…

…

It was so delicious.

"W-wow…" Ifalna stuttered aloud, shocked by the taste of the toast. It was just like she remembered it when she ate it on a regular basis. It was crunch on the outside, but a bit chewy on the inside. The contrast made the bite so wonderful. The taste spread throughout her whole mouth as she continued to chew. The woman couldn't help but smile, swallowing the food as she prepared for the next bite.

The Cetra took a noticeably huge bite off the toast. She chewed much faster, trying to gobble up the food as fast as possible. She looked like a hungry predator devouring on a small harmless animal. She continued to eat the food quickly, enjoying each bite.

The brunette suddenly heard a stifled laughter outside the room.

She looked up from the food, only to realize Cloud looking at her with a huge smile on his face.

"You want some raisins with that?" he asked with another plate of three toasts, a cold bottle of water, and a bag of raisins in his hands.

Ifalna felt the heat rushing to her face, embarrassed that the blond had to see her eat like that. "I-I'm sorry," she murmured quietly, still holding the plate and the toast in her hands.

"No need to feel sorry for feeling hungry," the blond responded as he went near the table, placing his water bottle and bag of raisins on the table. "I know _I_ would be hungry if I was in your position."

Ifalna tilted her head, confused by what he just told her.

"…You don't remember?" Cloud asked after taking a bite off his toast and eating it. "I found you on the train station near here."

Upon hearing this, the Cetra began to recall what happened to her.

"There was so much blood when I got to you," the blond said as he remembered the events that transpired. "In truth, I thought you were already dead."

Ifalna began to remember more clearly. She was running away from Shinra, away from Hojo's cruel experimentations on her. She escaped with Aerith, hoping that they could at least get away from this city alive.

The brunette was then shot, leaving her to die on the cold floor of this dreaded city.

The Cetra also remembered asking a nearby woman to take care of her daughter in her dying breath. She wasn't sure exactly who it was.

Everything else in her memory was a blur.

The brunette then looked at the blond, who was still explaining what happened earlier. He seemed more relaxed now that she was showing some form of response to him. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this man really wasn't a Turk. Perhaps she really can trust this person. She wasn't completely certain, but she was no longer completely certain this man worked for Shinra.

This person did, after all, save her from death. And if he really wanted to rescue her only to keep her alive for Shinra, she would have woken up in a cell for sure.

Perhaps the Cetra's initial thoughts of the blond were wrong.

Cloud continued his story as he proudly recalled a moment. "Thankfully, I had a spare Phoenix Down with me. Man, you surely were lucky _I_ was around to-"

"Cloud."

"…Huh?"

"Your name is Cloud, yes?" Ifalna asked, finally calling the blond by his name.

"Yeah, that's right," the blond replied with a smile, crossing his arms. "The one and only Cloud… Actually, there might be some… There could be two Clouds… Uh… Or maybe not… You never know, or something…"

…

…?

Thoroughly confused by the blond's sudden monologue, the Cetra blurted, "What?"

"My point is," Cloud cut himself off, trying to recollect his mind and finish his sentence, "my name is Cloud."

…

"…Okay," the brunette murmured with a nod, looking into the young man's blue eyes.

What a strange man, this Cloud person.

Probably not as strange as her, though. Most likely not.

Cloud sheepishly scratched his head, looking as if he wanted to change the subject. "Anyway," he began as he tapped his chin, "what is your name?"

The Cetra pondered whether to answer this question or not. It was dangerous to say her own name, especially in Shinra territory. The agents of Shinra could be anywhere at any time.

But, maybe she could let it slide just this once.

The more the woman looked at this blond, the less he looked like an employee of Shinra. He looked a little too nice to be one.

…and a little funny-looking, too. His hair looked comical; she never saw a hairstyle like that ever in her whole life.

"…You know, not many people laugh when asked for their name," the blond suddenly said with a frown.

Oh. She was snickering. No wonder she felt so much strain on her face. It has been a long while ever since she laughed about something, after all.

Regaining her composure, Ifalna got rid of her smile and answered solemnly, "I'm sorry." After clearing her throat, mostly to get rid of her laughter, she answered, "My name is Ifalna."

Cloud nodded slowly upon hearing the name. He then looked blankly at table next to him, looking as if he was lost in thought. Whatever he was thinking, it looked as if he was trying to recall something. Something important.

The brunette suddenly grew nervous. Why was he thinking so much? It was just a simple name. Was he really a Shinra agent looking for her? Was she going to get captured again?

The Cetra's mouth suddenly blurted out a question in an accusing tone, "Are you a Turk?"

Ifalna's eyes widened, quickly covering her mouth with both of her hands. She cursed at herself for asking such dangerous question.

Much to the brunette's concern, Cloud's eyes suddenly narrowed upon hearing the question. He stared at the woman, biting his lower lip.

The blond slowly opened his mouth, looking confused and concerned. It was the kind of expression that made Ifalna sweat nervously. "…Why are you so concerned if I'm a Turk or not?" he asked carefully, staring at the brunette's nervous face.

"I-er… uh…" the Cetra stuttered, placing her plate of toasts onto the drawer. Her mind and body betrayed her. She didn't know what to say. What could she answer to get out of this situation?

A thought suddenly hit her like a train of realization.

Ifalna suddenly glared at the blond, who seemed surprised by her instant change of expression, and asked back, "How do _you_ even know what a Turk _is_?"

"What? I- um…" the blond mumbled, looking flabbergasted by the question. He started rubbing his temples, probably looking for an appropriate answer to her question.

The woman frowned, becoming tense as she waited for him to answer. Something was not right here, and she wasn't getting a good feeling about what this man was going to say.

Cloud turned to look at the Cetra, who sat up from her bed, half-expecting him to suddenly lunge and attack her. Thankfully, he didn't do that. He only took a deep breath and said slowly, "…I am trying to fight Shinra."

…The brunette did not expect this sort of answer to come out of the blond's mouth.

"There's a rebel headquarters, located here in the slums," the man continued as he pointed downwards at the floor. "I'm tired of Shinra thinking they can sap whatever energy out of this planet and control everything they see. Obviously, I've been noticed soon after I made this decision, and the Turks started hunting me down ever since."

The brunette remained silent with her eyes wide open, listening carefully to what this man was saying. _There were people willing to risk their lives to fight Shinra?_ she wanted to ask. It all seemed too good to be true.

"I learned of their existence and their purpose as I encountered them a few times," the blond said as he crossed his arms. "That's all I really have to say to answer your question, but I think it's answer enough, don't you think?"

Ifalna remained quiet, processing what his man just said to her.

Before she was able to finish thinking about this, however, Cloud suddenly began again, "Now that I answered you, I think it's time you answer me. Why are you so concerned if I'm a Turk or not?"

Uh oh.

The woman partly hoped he forgot about his question.

Ifalna scrambled through her mind, trying to think of a convincing response. She seriously doubted telling him her true identity was a good idea. Far from it. She didn't even know what stance this rebellion had on the Cetra. If anything, they might use her as a bargaining tool with the Shinra, or they might flat out do the same things Hojo did to her.

No. Telling them that she was a Cetra was too risky. She tried to think of a lie that would help her kill this man's suspicions.

Then, she thought of the perfect lie. Well, perfect in _her_ mind, at least.

Making up her mind, Ifalna slowly got off the bed, her bare feet touching the floor. She nearly toppled over when she realized that her legs were still much weaker than usual.

Regaining her composure, the Cetra slowly looked up at Cloud's face and slowly began, "You have to realize that I, too, am trying to fight Shinra."

…

…

Cloud's expression turned into a confused one. He raised an eyebrow, looking as if he doubted her, and asked, "You are trying to fight Shinra?"

"Yes", Ifalna said as she nodded, putting on a serious expression. "Earlier, I was on a… mission of sorts… to damage Shinra's efforts on… something."

The blond began to look uninterested. "That's a really descriptive story," he said with a monotonous tone.

"…I can't say more because it's… confidential," Ifalna explained, making up her sentence randomly and hoping that the man would stop interrogating her. She was skating on thin ice at this point. Several beads of sweat began to trickle down her neck, nervous of what the blond would say next.

"Understandable," the blond said with a shrug, much to the Cetra's relief. Concern returned to her when she realized he still had that disbelieving look on his face.

Then, without warning, her rescuer asked her the worst question he could possible ask her.

"You _do_ know the name of this rebel group, right?" Cloud asked as he put his hands in his pockets.

…

 _Are you kidding me?!_ Ifalna thought to herself, keeping on a straight face despite her mind going haywire. _Why is he asking so many difficult questions? Am I really someone that suspicious?_

She then answered her own question in defeat, _Oh yeah, I am_.

The brunette continued to scramble in her own mind, trying to think of any response that wouldn't sound so dumb. _C'mon, Ifalna. Imagine yourself as a rebel. What kind of name would you give your group?_

Cloud raised an eyebrow when Ifalna continued to remain silent. " _Right_?" he asked again, hoping that the brunette wasn't falling asleep with her eyes open.

"Password," the Cetra suddenly said confidently as she pointed at the blond.

…

…

…

"What?"

"Password."

"Password?"

"Yes."

…

…

Cloud's mouth was agape, looking slightly shocked. After a moment of silence from him, he asked the Cetra, "You're not being serious, right?"

Ifalna gulped, but kept a straight face as she replied with fake confidence, "The real name is confidential. I can't just give you the name of the rebellion."

The blond rubbed his temples, shutting his eyes as if he was beginning to have a headache. "And _why_ would you not tell me, pray tell?"

"Because you might be a Shinra spy. What else?"

…

…

Cloud immediately turned around. "I need a break," he murmured, rubbing his head in annoyance. With that said, he slowly exited the room and walked down the stairs.

Ifalna peeked out the doorway and saw the blond reach the bottom of the stairway and disappear into the lower floor.

The Cetra slowly closed the door as she quietly went back into the bedroom.

The brunette let out a sigh of relief as she leaned onto the shut door. She knew that he didn't fully believe her, but at the very least he stopped questioning her.

For now, at least.

Ifalna looked around the room without much thought. She felt as if her brain was about to explode from all the thinking she had to do. She was done using her brain for now.

The woman then noticed the plate of toasts she left on the drawer next to the bottle of water before going on a huge word duel with Mr. Spikes.

Then she remembered how hungry she still was.

The brunette finished her plate of toasts under a minute. She even gulped down half of the water from the plastic cylinder.

She felt so refreshed. It was a sensation she hasn't felt for so long. It felt as if an old friend who left her a long time ago just returned to her. She couldn't believe that she was able to survive without feeling this feeling. Physically, she felt much better than before.

Ifalna placed her empty plate and half-empty bottle on top of the drawer. She remembered to properly thank the blond for the food later.

Hoping to find anything interesting, the Cetra turned her head, her eyes scanning the room. She then noticed something that she knew of, surprised that she did not see it earlier.

She found her clothes neatly folded on the chair with her red shoes sitting below it.

Ifalna immediately looked below to see what she was wearing, alarmed to find that she was wearing different clothes.

She was in a black tracksuit and pants.

It didn't look all _that_ bad, except for it feeling slightly big for her.

The brunette realized that Cloud must have cleaned her clothes and her body from all the blood she was covered in. Her memories still seemed like a haze, but she did remember enough to know that she was completely drenched in blood by the time she reached the train station. She must have looked as if she took a bath in a pool of blood.

 _Well, I guess that's another thing to thank Cloud for_ , Ifalna mused as she picked up to look at her dress. Surprised to look at the good condition her dress was still in, the woman made a small smile. This clothing was more important to her than most would think. It was one of the few things her parents left her before becoming one with the planet.

 _Wait a minute_ , the Cetra thought in alarm as she realized another important detail. _If Cloud cleaned my body, then that means, while I was unconscious, he must have taken my clothes-_

The woman let out a sigh, frowning. _What am I saying?_ she thought as she shook her head. _It's not like he did it out of bad intentions. I've been through worse, too._

Not wanting to waste any more time, Ifalna grabbed her pair of shoes and took them and her dress into the bathroom. After turning on the lights, she shut the door and locked it before beginning to get back into her dress.

Several minutes later, she was back in her original attire. The brunette looked into the mirror and observed her own reflection.

On the other side of the mirror, a sad looking woman stared back at her. Her green eyes looked a bit out of focus. Her body was bonier than usual. And she knew that her mind was broken, as well.

Ifalna felt like a zombie.

She may have survived thanks to a complete stranger, but that did not change much in the long run. Aerith was being taken care of by someone else. Her parents died a long time ago. Gast was still dead. She had no other real friends to begin with.

The Cetra was still broken. No value and no purpose.

What a pathetic life form, that woman who stood in the mirror.

Ifalna shook her head in disgust. She grabbed the tracksuit and swung open the bathroom door.

The brunette was greeted by a blindingly bright light.

Feeling the burning pain in her eyes, Ifalna shut her eyes and shielded them by lifting her free hand over them. The light felt like fire trying to burn her eyes off. It was not the kind of warm welcoming light people see in the day. It was the kind of raw light that could burn a human to a crisp.

When the pain finally subsided, the Cetra slowly lowered her hand and opened her eyes. She noticed that she was in a bright room with white walls, floor, and ceiling, completely sealed off with no windows that showed the outside world.

The brunette turned her head to look behind her over her shoulder. The old bathroom door was gone, and its place, a clean white door with a silver handle stood shut. She tried to open it, but she noticed it was locked.

Uneasiness grew in Ifalna's heart as she turned back to take a closer look at the room. Nothing much was in the place except a black stool in the middle of the room.

The Cetra swirled around and tried to open the door once more, fear growing in her like an infection taking a hold of her mind. She did not like this place. She wanted to get out.

The door refused to open. The handle was locked and did not budge.

Giving up on trying to open the door, Ifalna slowly turned back to the black stool. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that there was something on it. She couldn't make it out from the distance, though.

The scared woman knew she did not have much choice. She slowly walked up to the stool and looked at what was on it.

On the stool was a syringe filled with transparent liquid. A label was on the syringe, she noticed. It simply read, "Your way out".

Ifalna looked at the syringe with a blank expression. She then rolled up the left sleeve of her dress. She grabbed the syringe with her right hand and pressed the needle against the skin of her left forearm.

All the brunette needed to do was do it like she did many times before this. She lost count of how many times she put whatever was in that syringe into her body. Every time the Cetra did, she felt lightheaded, almost free from all the struggles in this world, in a strange sense. But at the same time, she felt her grip on reality loosen with each shot. Her special connection with Gaia also seemed to grow dimmer every time. Everything around the woman felt more and more like a dream, like none of them mattered in the end.

None of that mattered though. What really mattered was that taking that shot led her to getting out.

She tried to press on the syringe.

Knock knock.

Ifalna froze. She remained motionless like a statue.

"Ifalna, are you okay?"

She heard a familiar voice call her name.

The Cetra then looked up to the source of the voice.

It was coming from an old rickety-looking door the woman didn't notice earlier.

She then looked back at her arm to see the syringe.

The left sleeve was still rolled up, showing her bare forearm. The syringe in her right hand, though, was gone. It looked as if she was trying to use an imaginary shot on herself.

Dazed by the sudden change of environment, Ifalna looked around the room, only to notice that she was back in the bedroom she was resting in.

After blinking several times, the brunette's senses returned to her, and she felt as if her spirit that had just left her body returned to her. It was an incredibly strange and unpleasant experience, just like how she felt when she woke up gasping and sweating.

 _What was that, anyway?_ Ifalna asked herself as she rubbed her forehead in confusion. _Am I having flashbacks?_

She heard more knocking on the door.

"Ifalna? You there?" Cloud asked, his voice sounding concerned.

The Cetra quickly went over to the door and opened it, revealing the worried Cloud on the other side.

The blond smiled in relief when he saw the brunette standing in one piece before him. "Oh, good," he said. "I was worried that-"

Cloud suddenly stopped as if the next word he tried to say got stuck in his throat. He looked up and down at Ifalna. He probably noticed that she was in her own dress.

Although, the spikey-haired man did look a little _too_ surprised for some reason. His mouth was slightly open as if his jaw was hanging on its hinges.

Realizing that he was not going to say anything if she didn't, Ifalna asked, raising her eyebrow, "You were worried about something?"

Upon hearing the question, Cloud woke up from whatever spell he was under and his eyes regained its focus. "Oh, s-sorry about that," he stuttered as he regained his composure. "You just remind me of someone."

"I do?" Ifalna asked with curiosity.

"It doesn't matter," the blond quickly said, trying to cut off the brunette. "I just heard banging noises in this room, and I thought something went wrong, so I came to check."

"…Oh," the Cetra mumbled sheepishly as she pulled on one of her bangs. "I'm sorry about that. The door… got stuck… for a moment, so I knocked on it several times."

"Ah," Cloud said, falling for Ifalna's small lie. "In that case, it's fine."

Ifalna nodded silently, trying to think of what to say or do next.

The blond suddenly spoke up and said, "Oh, um, by the way… Sorry about interrogating you like that earlier. You were probably still dazed from waking up. I shouldn't have been so hard on you."

"No, it's fine," the Cetra brushed off, keeping a straight face. "I just need some time, that's all."

The man in the hoodie nodded with a smile. "If you need anything else, I'll be downstairs." With that, the blond closed the door.

Ifalna sighed before walking to one of the windows. She peered out the window and saw the buildings near her place.

They lacked consistent shape and looked as if they could fall any minute.

The darkness that shrouded the area also didn't help. The only source of light was a lamppost below. Seeing how none of the buildings around were lit up, Ifalna doubted that there were going to be people in the neighborhood.

The giant metal structure that covered the sky did not help at all, either.

What a terrible place to live in.

Ifalna then remembered Aerith, her one and only daughter.

Her poor child, too, had to endure the cruel seven years trapped in that terrible hellish place called the Shinra Headquarters. Although, she was relieved that the treatment her daughter received was far less cruel compared to what she got.

The Cetra had to know if Aerith was in the right hands. She knew she couldn't take care of her, especially in her current condition. Ifalna was too weak, both physically and mentally. Whatever they did to her for seven years, it left her deeply scarred to the point where she couldn't even hear a whisper from the planet.

The brunette just had to know if Aerith met the right guardian who would love her and protect her. That was all she needed to know. In truth, this was the only reason she was glad for still being alive. If that turned out that her child did, indeed, meet someone who would take care of her, then she could leave this world without any regrets.

Ifalna didn't have anything else to live for anyway. She failed as a Cetra, a wife, and a mother. She no longer had purpose in her life.

All she had to do now was find Aerith.

The Cetra knew she couldn't do that without help, though. She wouldn't last a second out there without someone assisting her.

Ifalna knew that her best bet on this was Cloud.

She had no other options. It had to be him. He was the only one near her friendly enough to help her.

The problem, however, was somehow convincing him to help her. All Ifalna needed him to do was help her find Aerith. And she doubted that her child was outside the slums at this point in time. The blond was clearly not gullible, though. It would prove to be difficult to lie to him successfully.

Ifalna rubbed her temples, frustrated that she had to think so much again shortly after experiencing a flashback.

What could she possibly say to persuade him into-

The door suddenly swung open, hitting on the wall as it made a loud crashing noise.

Ifalna gasped in shock. An intruder! She expected the person who swung open the door to be a Turk.

The woman was half-relieved and half-surprised, however, to see that the person who rudely nearly broke the door was Cloud.

Except, Cloud looked like he saw a ghost. His skin was noticeably paler, and his eyes were wide open in utter shock. His breathing was also heavier and faster.

The blond suddenly stomped up to the Cetra, scaring her in the process.

Ifalna nearly screamed from the man's sudden change of attitude. He looked like an absolute mad man right now.

Cloud asked the woman, almost in a whispering tone, "What year is it today?"

"…What?" the brunette murmured, confused by such a strange question.

"The year!" the man exclaimed, looking as if his life depended on what she was about to say next. "What year is it today?!"

Ifalna gulped, not understanding why he would ask for a year like _this_. The Cetra, in truth, did not really know the exact year, as she had no interest in keeping time recorded while she was trapped. But, from what the brunette overheard in Midgar while she was escaping from the Shinra Headquarters, she did remember hearing that the year was-

"1992," Ifalna blurted, taking several steps away from the currently-insane man. She just hoped that her answer would bring him back to his senses.

…

…

Cloud chuckled.

Thinking that her answer did bring him back to his senses, Ifalna nervously chuckled, as well. Perhaps his laughter meant that he was satisfied with the answer. Perhaps he will remain composed now that he heard what he had to hear.

The blond tugged at the collar of his hoodie while he smiled. For some reason, although he was smiling, he did not seem happy at all. "1992?" he asked.

Ifalna quickly nodded in response. She tried to say "Yes", but the word got stuck in her throat and never came out in the end. The Cetra's heart began to pound in nervousness. Something felt extremely off, but she couldn't tell exactly what it was.

Cloud simply smiled back; he looked like he was stifling a laughter. The blond slowly walked out of the room, not saying a single word on his way.

The brunette thought about following him, but her feet remained rooted to the floor. Her body was telling her mind that it was a better idea to stay inside.

For once, the Cetra's mind agreed with her body.

Ifalna then heard something open at the lower floor. Assuming that it was the front door of the place, she ran to one of the windows and looked outside.

She saw Cloud walking out, holding a bat in his one hand.

The blond suddenly started swinging the bat on the ground as he screamed,

"What the FUCK, 1992? How the living SHIT did I FUCKING SAIL _ALL THE WAY_ TO _**1992**_?! They had _ONE_ JOB, and then they ROYALLY FUCK IT UP HARDER than Cid trying to brew his FUCKING TEA WITHOUT SHERA! My _SHITTY FLYING SKILLS_ are more reliable than these group of fucking WISE GHOST FUCKS responsible for sending me. I TRUSTED THOSE FUCKS TO DO THEIR JOBS RIGHT. For ONCE, I trusted them. But now, THIS FUCKING HAPPENS! How the FUCK am I supposed to do this if the shit is not even going to go down until YEARS LATER?

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

Cloud threw the now-completely-busted bat on the floor before collapsing onto the dirt floor of the slums. He remained still and silent, almost looking like a dead person.

The whole slums remained quiet, no one bothering to respond to the awful noise the spikey-haired man just made. It looked as if no one was around to even pretend to care about what he just said.

Not that she understood what he just screamed. At all. Absolutely none of what he just said made any sense, whatsoever.

Ifalna did feel like Cloud needed help, though. She didn't know how she could help him, what she could do for him. But, she knew she had to at least _say_ something to him to bring him back to his senses.

Deciding to help, Ifalna left the bedroom and ran downstairs.


	3. Unscheduled Meeting

2:00 P.M.

 _What did I do today?_ Cloud wondered, looking up from his digital watch.

Well, apart from time traveling to the past to join up with himself and his pals to save Aerith from her untimely death, he:

 _Beat up a group of gangsters and stole stuff from them._

 _Saved a random woman with a name "Ifalna" on the train station._

 _Is currently residing in a conveniently abandoned shelter._

Not bad, if he would say so himself. But then again, he had no other time travelers to compare himself to.

No matter, though.

He left Ifalna alone in the bedroom after apologizing for questioning her so much. The blond currently remained seated on the armrest of the broken couch in the living room. Other than the concerning "2" written on an otherwise fine wall, it was a nice quiet room to think in.

Cloud made efforts to formulate a plan to meet up with his past self. No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn't stop thinking about that mystery person upstairs.

That Ifalna person…

Something about her seemed oddly familiar, even without factoring in her looks. Cloud swore he heard that name somewhere, and "Ifalna" isn't exactly a common name either. The blond did his best to dig through his own mind to find any information or memories he had with that specific name.

Nothing really came to mind.

He continued to ponder about this mystery person. Whatever she went through, she must have gone through hell. If her body being riddled with bullets wasn't clue enough, then her reaction to the blond after waking up certainly explained that the brunette did not have a good time before he found her.

Clearly, the woman only partially trusted the adventurer. Understandably so, considering how he was literally a person from another time.

 _Well, no matter_ , Cloud reminded himself as he quickly remembered his purpose here. _We'll be splitting ways real soon anyway_.

The adventurer rubbed the worn leather handle of his bat, lost in his own train of thought. Everything felt like a mess of things. Whenever he tried to think about Ifalna, his mind would drift elsewhere. And whenever he tried to think about his mission, his mind would, again, drift in another direction. It was as if a tornado landed in his mind, destroying his thoughts in its path.

In other words, Cloud's mind was tired as hell.

Trying to clear his mind, the blond slowly smoothened his hair back only for it to bounce back into its spiky formation. His eyes then turned to the old radio on the table.

 _I guess I can try listening to it_ , the blond thought as he placed his bat aside and leaned towards the radio. After switching on the machine, he began to turn the knobs and flipping the switches as he carefully fiddled with the antennae. The buzzing noise emitted from the speakers, indicating that the radio wasn't completely malfunctioned at the very least.

Seconds later, a voice from the radio was heard murmuring through the buzzing sound, "…- _come…-Shinr-…-news bringing-…"_

 _C'mon, you piece of junk_ , Cloud grumbled, continuing to work with this artifact of a machine. For nearly a full minute, the blond was turning knobs, flipping switches, and touching the antennae.

After much toiling, the radio sparked to life as it let out a stream of audible words. A sense of satisfaction rushed over Cloud, clear voices and noises entering his ears like a stream of symphonic melody.

The adventurer raised the volume to hear what was being said.

As the volume increased, the machine let out, " _-as many other companies are also being converted into weapons manufacturers to aid the war effort._ "

…Huh?

" _This resulted in a decreasing number of general goods in the market and a significant rise in their prices. Many citizens have begun to protest to the government, saying that their livelihood was being destroyed by a war that was, according to the lead protestors, 'unnecessary'._

War?

Did this thing just say _war_?

Cloud knew that there was no war or any form of international conflict going while he and his gang were going about their ways bombing Mako Reactors. If anything, _they_ were the biggest threats to Midgar and Shinra. _They_ were the top targets of the elites and the government. They even brought down a whole sector of a city to ensure their demise.

So exactly what the hell was this _war_ talk?

The radio continued as if to ignore the blond's train of thoughts. " _In response to this, President Shinra urged the people of Midgar to stay put, and that the war was a necessary path to the better life of the people. He reassured the people of the city that their victory was sealed from the beginning, and that it would only a matter of time before they strike Shinra's flag down to the soils of Wutai._

" _The protestors argued that the war had just begun and that it would be impossible for anyone to predict when and how it would end, but the_ -"

He couldn't believe what was said just now. The blond couldn't hear the words of the news anymore. The news he just heard, he never heard about it before; he would know it if he did.

Cloud made his best attempt to unscramble his brain and put the pieces together.

War. Shinra. Wutai.

From the sound of the protestors, the war had only recently begun. And that war was declared on Wutai. Why would Shinra declare war on Wutai at this time? Wutai was only a resort town at this-

…

Wait.

Wait a minute.

War on Wutai.

…

No.

That's impossible.

…

…

 _That's just fucking impossible._

Cloud recalled the history lesson he got from his annoying and bratty young friend from Wutai, Yuffie. He even remembered his unpleasant childhood he really despised remembering.

Like picking up pieces of memory from a large lake, the blond slowly remembered his history.

It was a time when he was still a young kid, around the age of five or six or so. Back then, the world wasn't completely owned by Shinra. There was another place, a sovereign nation, that was called Wutai.

Shinra, owning _nearly_ all the world at the time, tried to walk in through the doormats of Wutai like they owned the place to set up their Mako Reactors. The country stopped them and reminded the greedy bastards that they were an independent nation.

It didn't take long before Shinra declared war on Wutai.

That was the _only_ time when there was ever a war while Cloud was still around.

This could only mean that…

Cloud began to feel his mind slowly falling apart. He could no longer think straight as realization struck him. But no matter how much he tried to make sense of it, it didn't make sense.

He couldn't have arrived over a decade earlier than intended.

It's impossible.

Uncertainty and fear gnawed at his heart, making him grow increasingly paranoid. Repeatedly telling himself that it was impossible did nothing but scare him. He had to ask someone what year it was.

Ifalna.

He could ask her.

Fear tightening its grip on his very soul, Cloud rushed upstairs, breathing heavily as sweat began to form on his forehead.

He swung open the door to the bedroom, revealing the brunette standing in front of one of the windows. Surprised and scared by the sudden entrance, she spun to face the blond.

The blond didn't notice this. He didn't have time to notice such things when there was a possibility that his time traveling went awry and he jumped to the wrong time.

Quickly rushing to the woman, who looked more and more alarmed with each of his loud steps, Cloud asked in a whispering but threatening tone, "What year is it today?"

Ifalna looked flustered by the sudden strange question.

Her body slightly shaking and her eyes growing wide in fear, the woman stammered, "…What?"

"The year!" the blond growled, growing impatient as each second passed by without purpose. "What year is it today?!"

The woman gulped as she took several steps back from the man in front of her. She slowly raised her hand to keep her distance from the mad blond. With a shaken voice, she blurted, "1992."

…

…

1992.

Cloud chuckled.

…

…

The adventurer didn't want to believe it. He was supposed to be here meeting up with himself and his crew rescue Aerith along with Red and escape the city. He was supposed to be here helping his friends keep Aerith alive and stop Sephiroth. He was supposed to be here doing that.

But now, he was here. The adventurer was stuck in 1992.

He tried to say something, _anything_. He wanted to scream anything he could, to do something about the unexplainable rage and frustration that was bubbling up in him.

All Cloud could do was softly ask with a smile, "1992?"

Ifalna stiffly and swiftly nodded, nervousness evident in her face and body. She nodded quickly as if her life depended on it, her hair bobbing back and forth as she did so. The woman wasn't even looking at him anymore, clearly trying to avoid eye contact.

The adventurer felt as if all emotions slowly seeped out of him, leaving with him only his mind and body. It felt as if even his soul wanted to abandon him. The man slowly exited the room, smiling, but not laughing, his legs moving on their own.

Cloud walked downstairs into the living room, where he saw his bent bat still lying next to the table. Without much in his mind, he slowly picked it up and went outside the building.

Cloud took a deep breath.

All of a sudden, everything came back to him. He remembered the planning he went through for this trip, the adversities he had to withstand to even get here, the things he put at risk to even make this trip possible, he remembered everything.

So much for this trip, only for it to fail.

And with it, unimaginable frustration and confusion returned to him as well.

Feeling the sudden fury boiling his blood and blinding him from reason and thought, Cloud started swinging his bat with all his might to the ground. He screamed.

He yelled words, obscenities, anything that he could to quench his frustrated soul. All sorts of words came out of his mouth as he swung the bat on the ground. Whatever he did say, Cloud couldn't remember. If anything, it felt as if he momentarily fainted and his pure anger just gained sentience and took over his body, controlling it however it wanted to burn the fuel in his mind.

After his body ran out of energy from screaming and swinging, Cloud threw his bat on the ground and fell onto the dirt floor of the slums, his eyes looking at the dark gloomy ceiling of the slums.

Silence greeted him, ignoring whatever sentences he just uttered. It reminded him that no one was going to understand what kind of horrible situation he was stuck in, no matter what he would say and do.

He remained there, lying on the ground. Certainly, it wasn't the best place to lie down in, but considering his trouble, it didn't matter. Cloud just wanted everything to freeze just for a moment.

… _I really got myself in some serious shit this time_ , the blond said to himself, blinking.

* * *

 **CHAPTER III**

 **UNSCHEDULED MEETING**

* * *

The blond thought about closing his eyes for a moment. Maybe that would help him regain his sanity.

Before he did, a certain woman came into his view, blocking the sight of the dark ceiling high above.

It was Ifalna. She was looking down at Cloud, concern clearly showing in her expression. She was also breathing more heavily, implying that she ran to see him.

Cloud blinked.

Ifalna, too, blinked as if to respond to him.

Before the blond opened his mouth to say anything to her, the brunette began first, "Are you okay?"

 _Funny_ , the adventurer thought to himself. _I asked her that earlier today_.

"Yeah," Cloud murmured in response, blinking several times. "Kind of, at least."

The woman slowly squatted to get a better look at the blond, who was still lying on the ground. Her arms resting on her knees, she inspected the young man's face, looking as if she was checking to see anything strange on him.

The adventurer stared at Ifalna's face, now closer to him.

Even now, she looked almost like Aerith, minus the serious and alert expressions that never seemed to leave her face. From her hair to her body, they were _nearly_ identical, but not completely. It felt weird, noticing the strange uncanny similarities between them. If anything, this woman looked as if she was Aerith's-

…

Wait a minute.

The year was 1992.

At this point in time, Aerith would be a child currently under the care of Elmyra Gainsborough.

Then, there was this woman shot multiple times, dying on the train station.

Like dots connected with lines, it was all related.

It all made sense now.

This strange woman before his eyes was the real biological mother of the other woman he was really trying to save.

…

…

…

Of course… Why did he ever forget?

This Ifalna was _the_ Ifalna.

Ifalna, the second last of the Cetra.

…

He rescued the second last Cetra from her death.

Cloud stopped his train of thought and focused his sight on the woman in front of him.

Ifalna looked nervous, most likely from Cloud's long silence and him technically staring at her for so long. She fiddled one of her bangs, trying to quell her nervousness.

… _Holy shit_ , the adventurer nearly said out loud, not knowing whether to feel excited or worried. _What do you know, I saved Aerith's mom_.

As the realization settled in, Cloud sat up, only to have his head collide with Ifalna's.

"Ow!" both yelped in pain.

As he rubbed his forehead, the blond slowly stood up and said, "Sorry about that." He extended his right hand to help Ifalna get back on to her feet.

The Cetra looked up with an annoyed look as she, too, rubbed her forehead in pain. She didn't give any response, but accepted Cloud's hand and slowly stood up.

Ifalna, upon standing on her two feet, turned to the blond again and asked with a frown, "Are you sure you're okay?"

The blond looked at the brunette, noticing the worry on her face. With a sigh and a shrug, he responded, "In terms of health, yeah."

The Cetra's eyebrows knitted together as she gave the adventurer a look of suspicion. "…That's a very strange way of saying 'yes'."

"Better than the answer _you_ gave me when I asked you the same question," Cloud reminded as he stretched his shoulder, slightly annoyed as he recalled the moment he asked the question to her back in the bedroom.

It was going to take a while for the blond to forget the colorful response the brunette gave him.

"…Oh," Ifalna mumbled as she sheepishly rubbed her upper arm. "I'm sorry."

The blond shook his head. "It's fine," he said before turning to his bat that was lying still on the ground like a corpse.

Well, what was left of the bat, at least. Unable to withstand Cloud's power and the collision on the ground, the bat broke into two pieces. Clearly, the bat would not be able to hit any baseballs at this point.

The blond picked up the bat by the handle. The handle of the bat remained the same, but the upper part was completely gone, leaving a sharp metal opening in its spot.

 _I guess I can still use it as a stabbing weapon or something_ , the adventurer noted as he tapped the sharp edge of the bat. He strapped the bat back on his belt and turned back to the brunette. "Let's get back in before we do anything else first," he said as he began to walk to the shelter.

Ifalna nodded quickly before following the blond back to the old house.

As the two returned to the living room, Cloud immediately headed for the fridge and grabbed a cold bottle of water.

The blond took a first gulp from the bottle. He could feel the cold water flowing inside his body. It was a relaxing feeling, especially after what he went through earlier.

While he drank from the water bottle, the blond began thinking yet again.

 _What a mess I've gotten into_ , the adventurer grumbled to himself, rubbing his temples as he shook his head. _To think that I would_ actually _jump too far into the past… I should've prepared myself more for it when I was warned about that possibility._

 _Agh, I shouldn't have melted down like that though, especially since we made a backup plan in case shit like this happened_ , Cloud thought, relieved as he remembered this crucial detail of his plan. _I should head for the Northern Cave Crater now. Gaia should then be able to fix this up and send me back to the right time._

The blond then turned to look at the brunette, who was intently listening to whatever was on the radio.

Cloud sighed, his heart heavy. He knew that if he would be taken to the correct time, then his actions here would be undone. This obviously meant that Ifalna surviving would be null.

 _Oh well_ , the blond murmured to himself, trying not to think too deeply about it. _I was never meant to save her, as cruel as it sounds. No need to waste more of my time when everything I do here is gonna be nothing._

The adventurer kept his gaze on Ifalna, who didn't seem to notice him staring. She was still busy keeping her eyes on and hearing the radio.

 _I guess it would be better if we split ways after this_ , Cloud planned, concern dissipating from his mind. _She's more or less healthy now. She wouldn't even know what would happen to her later anyway._

Finishing his drink, the adventurer threw the empty plastic bottle away and walked back into the living room. When Ifalna turned to look at him, Cloud waved his hand and stopped near the table.

Crossing his arms, the blond began, "Sorry if I caused too much ruckus." After scratching his head, he continued, "Once you feel like you're okay, you are free to leave."

Strangely, Ifalna stayed silent. She still looked solemn as ever.

Cloud continued, "Once I prepare myself, I'll be leaving for the rebellion-"

"Are you _really_ part of this rebellion?" the Cetra suddenly interrupted, her tone monotonous and her expression still serious. She was looking directly into Cloud's eyes. Her soul-piercing stare returned to her, only this time, her eyes weren't wide open in fear.

The blond, not expecting this question, stammered, "I -err…"

Ifalna remained silent, her stoic expression unchanging. She looked as if she was not going to back out of this without a clear answer.

 _I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell part of the truth_ , Cloud finally decided, sighing. "Well," he began answering, "not exactly."

The brunette's expression did not change. She did not look surprised one bit. "Then," she began asking again, "who are you?"

"Would you believe me if I told you the truth?" the blond responded, scratching his head as he prepared to say more. "It's kinda crazy."

"Since when was the truth not crazy?" Ifalna inquired, keeping her gaze locked onto the adventurer.

 _That's actually a good point_ , he admitted in his mind.

"Fair enough," Cloud responded, taking a deep breath. "My name is Cloud Strife. I'm a mercenary working for a rebellion group fighting against Shinra fifteen years from now. We were fighting for many reasons, but our common goal was to stop them from sapping life energy from the planet. I got into a fight to save someone, but something went wrong. Moments later, I found myself here, 15 years in the past. I've been trying to find my way back, but my efforts have, so far, been a wild goose chase."

The brunette remained stoic upon hearing this. As seconds passed, her expression slowly softened and turned into that of confusion. The Cetra slowly opened her mouth, trying to say something.

She uttered, " _What_?"

The blond shook his head. "Wild goose chase," he repeated. "You know, a figure of speech for describing something hopeless-"

"No, I know what that means," Ifalna interrupted, biting her lower lip in annoyance. "I'm just confused about- What I really want to ask is… Are you really from the future?"

"Indeed, I am," Cloud said with a nod. "Don't ask me _how_ I got here, though. That is something I don't know."

The brunette tapped her chin, closing her eyes and immersing herself into deep thought. Much to Cloud's surprise, she didn't immediately call him off as a liar or a crazy person. If anything, it looked as if she partially believed his words. Key word being 'partially'.

Ifalna, opening her eyes, requested to Cloud, "Can you prove it to me?"

The moment of truth.

"All right, let me think of something," the blond said as he crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling. Unfortunately, the ceiling looked a little dilapidated and was just an ugly sight in general. So, he looked down at the floor, which was, although ugly as shit, more tolerable than the ceiling.

 _Telling her about her daughter right off the bat would most likely scare her off, so I should probably avoid talking about Aerith_ , Cloud thought to himself. _What_ can _I talk about, I wonder?_

A good idea then crossed the adventurer's mind. If a lightbulb was above his head, it would light up and burst like all the shitty bulbs he owned in the past. Damn lightbulbs always gave him and everyone else in his home trouble.

After clearing his throat, the blond said, "I think I would be able to tell the names of a good amount of kids in the slums. Most of them would be young adults at my time."

…

…

…

 _Wow, that sounded wrong and creepy_ , Cloud criticized himself with regret. _I really should've come up with something else._

Ifalna silently stared at Cloud, giving him a thoughtful look. She then pulled on one of her bangs, words seemingly failing her. She then opened her mouth to finally say something.

The adventurer quickly interjected as he raised his hands, "I'm not that kind of person."

"I-… what?" the brunette stuttered, confused by the strange and unexpected remark.

"…I…Never mind," Cloud mumbled as he shook his head, quickly trying to change the subject. "What was it you wanted to ask?"

After giving the blond a weird look, Ifalna cleared her throat and asked, "…I was wondering if you knew where a girl called Aerith is."

Cloud was surprised to hear this coming from the Cetra herself. He couldn't tell if she was testing him or if she was really trusting him. It was hard to tell.

Trying not to get ahead of himself, the blond answered cautiously, "I'm not too sure. It would help if I knew how she looked like."

Ifalna rubbed her temples, deep in thought. She seemed stressed out by the sudden strange change of events that transpired before her eyes. It was the kind of events that seemed fake but also seemed true. Making up her mind, the brunette took a deep breath and began, "She's a little girl, age of seven. She has brunette hair and green eyes."

"I hate to break it to you," the adventurer answered, scratching his head, "but there are a lot of women in the slums with brunette hair and green eyes, ranging from shopkeepers to slum drunks and-"

"S-slum drunk?" the Cetra stammered after gasping in shock and dread. "Aerith becomes a slum drunk?!"

"Wh- No!" Cloud quickly replied, horrified by the thought himself. "Were you even listening? I said there are a lot of women in the slums with brunette hair and green eyes, _ranging_ from shopkeepers to slum drunks."

"Y-you're sure, right?" Ifalna stuttered, hoping for a resounding 'yes' as an answer.

"Yes," the blond answered resoundingly. "If anything, I think I'm remembering this Aerith person now."

"Really?!" the brunette exclaimed, her eyes widening in excitement and her hands shivering with shock. She looked as if her soul was about the jump out of her body. "Are you absolutely certain?"

Cloud nodded with reassurance. "I am absolutely certain," he answered. "And I can assure you she's not a slum drunk, or some random slut in the streets, or a prostitute, or a-"

"S-s-stop using those words!" Ifalna seethed, growing increasingly annoyed with Cloud's choice of words.

"Hey, I'm just saying she wasn't any of those things!" the adventurer defended himself, confused at why the brunette got so mad at him. He was only reassuring her, so why was she getting so worked up?

"Anyway!" the Cetra interrupted with a sharp voice, cutting the string of meaningless arguments. After sighing and trying to get rid of her concerns, she calmly asked, "Do you know where Aerith is?"

"Yes," Cloud replied. "But, why do you want to know that?"

Ifalna bit her lower lip, tearing her gaze away from the blond. She had her eyes on the radio, which was turned off. She stared at it as if it would tell her what to say, like a magic 8-ball.

Eventually, after taking in a deep breath, the brunette began as she turned back to the adventurer, "Aerith is my daughter."

"Oh," the blond let out with a smile. "That's neat-"

"It's not just that," Ifalna continued as she shook her head. "Aerith and I, we're… different… and-"

Cloud knew that the brunette was about to explain their true identity to him. Well, partly, at least. The blond considered staying silent, but then again, he just revealed that he knew about Aerith. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he had little to no reason to listen to Ifalna talk about the Cetra. So, he simply interrupted, "Both of you are Cetra, yes?"

The brunette coughed, shocked to hear the sentence come from the adventurer. She looked absolutely flabbergasted, failing to respond to the blond's question as her eyes darted around the place erratically.

Hoping that the Cetra won't fall into a panic attack, Cloud quickly added, "Aerith told me briefly about the Cetra. Considering how you are her mother, I assumed you were one, too."

This seemed to relieve Ifalna slightly, seeing how her breathing began to become steady and the frightened look on her face slowly dissipated. She still looked concerned, though. Her eyebrows knitted together as she glared at the blond with suspicion.

"How much do you know about the Cetra?" Ifalna questioned, her green eyes peering into Cloud's blue eyes.

The blond shrugged, trying to relieve the tension between them. "I don't know everything about them," he admitted. Even after all these years, despite studying them to the best of his abilities, he never truly understood the whole picture about these people. Maybe he was never meant to. "All I really know is that they are spiritually connected with the heart and soul of this planet, Gaia."

The brunette slightly tilted her head as she kept her sight on the adventurer. It almost felt as if she was scanning him with her eyes, trying to detect anything suspicious about him.

Finally, she asked once more, "Is that all?"

"Well, there was the fact that Shinra was incredibly interested in them, but other than that, that's the only thing I'm absolutely certain of," Cloud verified as he nodded. "I heard of other things, but, I can only imagine what they really mean."

Ifalna slowly nodded, slowly turning back to the radio on the table. She seemed to fall into her thoughts again. At the very least, she seemed to somewhat buy what the blond told her, which was still pleasantly surprising.

The adventurer tugged his hoodie, recalling something. "…You were shot by Shinra forces, weren't you?" he asked.

The brunette seemed hesitant to respond to this, her eyes shifting left and right nervously and her hands slightly trembling. Eventually, however, she nodded in response. "…My daughter and I were trapped in there for seven years."

It was a response obvious to Cloud. He just thought about throwing the question out for the sake of asking.

"I'm sorry you had to endure through that hell," the blond responded solemnly, to which Ifalna did not respond to.

In truth, the blond was getting slightly tired of this interrogation at this point. All this answering wasn't going to change the fact that he was still stuck in 1992. His only way out of this was the Northern Cave Crater, and he had to begin his journey any time soon.

Ifalna faced Cloud again and said, "In truth, I am not sure whether to believe your words or not. I want to believe them, but they all sound so… unreal…"

"Oh, I know," the blond quickly answered, stretching his back to relieve the stress. "All this talk of me coming from the future must sound pretty crazy, but it doesn't matter whether you believe me or not. I just felt like you deserved to know who I really am before we split ways."

The Cetra seemed to look frightened when the adventurer finished his last statement. "Wait," she blurted, stopping Cloud before he said anything more. "Before we… 'split ways'… I have a request."

A request?

Cloud raised his eyebrow, curious of the sudden talk of request. He didn't expect her to ask for something from the blond, especially when she still didn't fully trust him. Regardless, it intrigued him.

"Shoot," the adventurer said as he crossed his arms.

"…If you really are from the future," Ifalna began with an incredulous expression, looking as if she couldn't believe herself for trying to ask this question, "can you… take me to my child?"

…Well, now…

The blond wasn't entirely surprised that this would be the request Ifalna would make to him. Really, he sort of expected it. Obviously, however, the real question was this:

Should he say yes or no?

If he said yes, Ifalna would at least have the chance to meet with her daughter before Cloud would cancel that out by returning to the correct time.

If he said no, Ifalna would still have the chance to meet her daughter before Cloud would cancel that out by returning to the correct time. Only this time, he would be a complete dick and Ifalna would have to find her child by herself.

Also, if he ever told the story of his travels to Tifa, she would probably smack him for being such a dick.

And even if he made the argument that it would have all been canceled out anyway, his friend would still most likely make him feel like shit for it.

Should he still say no in this case?

No.

No, that would suck hard.

After making his decision, the blond, with certainty, shook his head and said, "No."

Ifalna looked devastated, but looked as if she tried to accept it. "…It's fine," she said with sadness in a whisper, looking away from the adventurer to hide her frown.

Wait, what?

"Whoa, wait," Cloud quickly said, shaking his head, "I meant, 'yes'. I will help you find your daughter."

The brunette looked up, hope swelling up in her. Her eyes wide with excitement, she grabbed Cloud's hand with both of her hands, slightly trembling as she failed to contain her feelings.

The blond nearly blurted something out, caught off guard by this sudden change of expression.

"Thank you so much, Cloud," Ifalna said with a smile, or at least, an attempt at a smile. It was a really awkward expression, kind of like the forced smiles children make in front of cameras. It was as if she forgot how to smile and was desperately trying to remember how to do it.

Still, it was a refreshing expression. Certainly better than the gloomy and solemn face she carried for hours now. Cloud also had to admit it made him feel better, too.

"Not a problem," Cloud responded with a half-smile. After tugging at the collar of his hoodie, the blond said, "Grab whatever things you need. It's gonna be a bit of a walking trip."

Before Ifalna was able to move away, the blond quickly asked for the heck of it, "By the way, is your name really Ifalna?"

The brunette, without hesitation, answered, "Yes." After pausing for a moment, she then added, "I'm Ifalna Faremis."

* * *

A little after leaving the shelter, the two began walking across the mystical land known as the Midgar slums. Just like Cloud's earlier trip through these wonderful land, the place still looked like a maze. The area still had too much shitty buildings and too much metal walls and structures. Having no real notable landmarks really dulled his sense of direction, too.

Thankfully, Cloud still remembered his way around these areas. He doubted that the slums would have changed too much in the course of fifteen years. It was a good thing he had an amazing sense of remembering.

Cloud remembered that his memories were so good that he took his old friend Zack's memories and replaced his pal with himself in those memories. And that later caused a series of truly remarkable but horrifying events that got so many people scarred but at least saved the planet from the greatest evil the world ever saw.

 _I wish I could forget things for once_ , the blond thought.

Despite Cloud's advice, Ifalna didn't really bring anything with her. All she needed, according to her, was to see Aerith. It was strange that she would not take any useful things with her, especially considering how she was going to go off with her daughter to God knows where. At least, that's what the adventurer assumed the brunette would do. It seemed like the only logical choice left for her.

Meanwhile, the blond also didn't have anything with him. He intended on returning to the house after saying his good bye to Ifalna. And after that, he'll be able to flesh out his plan of going all the way to the northern pole of this planet.

Cloud had to admit, though. He was curious how Aerith looked like when she was a child. Maybe she'll be a cute little angel as Elmyra described.

Or, she could be the most annoying little cretin with grammar issues, just like how he imagined.

"How much… longer… until we… get there?" Ifalna breathed out as she hobbled across the dirt floor of the slums, panting as sweat rolled down her face.

Cloud turned around to face the exhausted Cetra, who was barely keeping up with the him. "Around 15 minutes left," he replied, growing concerned with the woman. "…You sure you don't need me to carry you or something?"

"For the… last time…," Ifalna let out in between her gasps for air, "I… am… fine…"

"But it's been only ten minutes or so," the adventurer cut off as he stopped. "And you're already looking like a dying chocobo."

"Maybe… if you weren't… _talking_ … so much," the brunette grumbled as she gritted her teeth, stopping to catch a few breaths, "I wouldn't… be so… tired…"

The blond rolled his eyes. "…Do you wanna just catch a break?" he asked, leaning against a metal plating of a nearby disfigured building.

Ifalna didn't answer and immediately leaned against the same wall Cloud was leaning against. She took a deep breath and sighed, her body finally getting the rest it needed. The brunette closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the relaxing break.

Cloud and Ifalna felt something give in and heard an unsatisfyingly loud snapping noise.

Realizing that the sound came from behind the wall, they immediately backed away from it and took many steps back. The wall they were leaning on was part of a two-story building made entirely out of scraps and other discarded junk.

The wall continued to make repeated snapping noises.

The two stood absolutely still as they kept their eyes on the building, which continued to make strange concerning sounds.

Several seconds later, the noise stopped, the world becoming quiet once more.

The building stood still.

…

…

The building continued to stand still.

Cloud and Ifalna let out a sigh of relief. The blond rubbed his temples while the Cetra pulled on her bangs to relieve herself from the stress. All the concern washed away from their minds as they recovered.

Cloud then noticed a blue butterfly flying above the building. It slowly stopped flapping its wings and landed on the roof.

The building began to collapse. The whole structure just fell backwards, like a domino piece being pushed. Metal chunks flew upwards as the building fell flat on the ground. Clouds of dust arose as the noise settled down to signify the end of the collapse.

Cloud and Ifalna's jaws dropped, their eyes wide with shock. The whole building was just gone in a matter of seconds. On its spot, only a crumbled debris was left.

Moments of silence and shock later, the blond slowly closed his mouth and opened it again. "What the fu-"

Ifalna slowly turned her face to Cloud, the shock still not leaving her. "…D-did we j-just…?" she stammered as she pointed at the debris, her finger shivering.

"Don't worry," Cloud reassured as he recovered. "No one was in that building, I think."

"Y-you… _think_?" the Cetra blurted as her eyes widened even more, completely unsatisfied by the comment. "Y-y-you mean y-you aren't s-s-sure?"

"I mean, this whole neighborhood is abandoned anyway," the adventurer pointed out as he looked around the area. "It usually means no one is actually around"

"How are you so sure?" Ifalna asked disbelievingly as she slowly regained full control of her body.

"I just know it," the blond lied as he shrugged. He admitted to himself that he wasn't entirely too sure, but the dark windows and the silence convinced him that the building really was empty. "…Yeah."

The brunette rubbed her temples, forcing herself to believe the adventurer. "Let's just get out of here before anything else happens," she grumbled as she quickly ran down the path they were taking.

 _She really must be nervous, considering how she's able to run out of here with that little stamina left_ , the blond noted with a smirk, watching the Cetra struggling to run with her dress.

Cloud then noticed a blue butterfly hover about him. It was the same blue butterfly that caused the whole building to go down. It landed on the tip of his spikey hair.

"Shoo!" the blond let out in annoyance as he waved his hand around his head.

The butterfly flew away, almost looking as if it was mocking Cloud.

 _How many more buildings am I going to destroy before getting out of this shithole?_

Minutes later, the blond and the Cetra were continuing down the path. Ifalna continued to struggle, barely standing on her two legs, while Cloud led the way with no difficulty.

The blond turned around to look at the Cetra, who was heavily breathing erratically, and opened his mouth to say something.

"No," Ifalna breathed out, not even looking at Cloud.

"I wasn't going to ask you if I could carry you," the adventurer grumbled as he stopped. "I was just telling you that we're here."

Ifalna looked up at the blond, her expression changing to the solemn look again. Breathing heavily, she tried to stand upright. "Are you… sure?" she asked, trying to catch a breath.

"Never been surer," the blond reassured with a smile. He then pointed at the lone bright house with a red roof standing in front of a small clean stream. The building was rather well designed and sturdily built. Whoever made this place must have gotten some serious talent.

Regaining her energy, the Cetra silently inspected the house, crossing her arms. "So," she began, looking rather concerned, "my daughter is in there?"

Cloud nodded in response. "I'll help you answer the door, as well," he added with a half-smile.

Ifalna rubbed her temples before nervously stepping to the front door of the house. She raised her fist to knock on the door, but momentarily stopped. The Cetra had a hesitant look on her face, as if she was scared to see what was beyond the door. All she did was lower her fist, only to raise it again, and then lower it.

Realizing that the brunette was having trouble knocking on the door, he did it for her.

After a moment of silence, a familiar albeit younger voice answered behind the shut door, "Just a moment!"

Finally, a familiar voice.

 _It's so good to hear your voice again, Ms. Gainsborough_ , Cloud mused happily. While he knew she wasn't going to recognize him, it still felt so comforting to hear someone he recognized for once.

The wooden door creaked open, revealing a brown-haired young woman with blue eyes standing behind the doorway. She was wearing a green dress with a white apron on.

The woman looked just like her older self in the future, only younger. Meeting a younger self of someone he knew of, it felt very strange but incredible at the same time.

The house owner looked at Cloud and made a small smile. "Do you need something?" she asked with slight eagerness.

 _Well, that's different_ , the blond commented to himself upon hearing such question coming from her. _She was a lot more open during this time, I guess_.

Cloud scratched his head. "Not me in particular," he answered before motioning to Ifalna, who was standing absolutely still next to him. "But, she might."

The house owner turned to look at the person next to the adventurer.

Her eyes saw Ifalna's stone cold serious face.

The woman gasped, her jaws dropping as she recognized the Cetra. She stammered something for a moment, but Cloud couldn't make it out. It looked as if the house owner was doing her absolute best to not faint from shock.

Eventually, she finally let out words and stammered, "Y-you're alive!"

Ifalna didn't respond, her expression unchanging. She continued to stand as still as a statue.

The house owner stared at the brunette for a long moment, amazed that someone she thought was dead was standing right before her eyes. She then turned around and exclaimed happily, "Aerith! Your mother is here!"

Oh man. Here we go.

It was finally time for Aerith to reunite with her mother. The doomed mother who was fated to die in the train station. At least for this moment, the two can enjoy each other's presence, even if it wasn't going to last.

Moments later, soft but quick footsteps were heard coming from the house. The footsteps grew louder as time passed. Any second now, the child was going to show herself to her mother.

The blond was curious as to how Ifalna was reacting to this. He turned to see her.

The Cetra was still motionless, her body and face unmoving.

 _Wow, what a killjoy_ , the blond thought to himself, disappointed at such a lack of reaction from the mother. _I thought she would at least show_ some _emotion by this point._

Eventually, a small figure showed up next to the aproned woman. The house owner patted the small child's back and said soothingly, "Aerith, your mother is here."

Cloud looked down to look at the kid, who was peeping her head out from behind the woman.

The child, her height only reaching slightly above the house owner's waist, had long brown hair tied up in a ponytail with a blue hair ribbon. Her skin was pale and her eyes were emerald green. Although she was wearing a blue dress, Cloud could still recognize her.

The kid was definitely Aerith.

The scared Aerith, still hiding behind her caretaker, looked at Cloud, her eyes full of fear.

Smiling, Cloud squatted and waved at the child. "Hello there, Aerith," he said gently as he put down his hand.

Aerith's expression softened when she heard this. She smiled, probably thinking that Cloud was a nice person. "Hello, Mr. Spikeyhead," she said enthusiastically as she waved back.

 _Spikeyhead, huh?_ the blond mused with half-annoyance and half-excitement. _Never change, Aerith_.

The child then turned to see her mother. Her face brightened up like a kid finding shiny presents under a tree. Excitedly, she ran up to the older Cetra and exclaimed with joy, "Mommy! You're back!"

Aerith hugged Ifalna, who was still standing emotionlessly, looking at her child with a strangely aloof expression. The brunette didn't even hug her.

It was a truly uncomfortable sight. Cloud forced a chuckle, trying to get Ifalna to react somehow. The house owner tried to smile, but became concerned when the mother continued to remain frozen.

Ifalna suddenly grabbed her head with both of her hands, covering her ears as if to block off an ear-piercingly loud noise. She silently shook her head violently, her hair flailing wildly with each of her movement.

Aerith, frightened by the sudden action, let go of her mother and stepped back. Tears formed in her eyes as terror began to grab hold of her.

Cloud, shocked by Ifalna's unexpected violent shaking, tried to grab the brunette's shoulders and stop her. "Ifalna!" he shouted, trying to snap her out of whatever she was going through. "Ifalna! You have to get a hold of yourself!"

Despite the blond grabbing her shoulders, the older Cetra continued to shake her head as if to chase something away from her. She then began to scream.

Aerith burst into tears as her caretaker gasped in horror.

"Ifalna!" the blond continued to exclaim, his eyes fixated on the brunette as he tried to keep his grip on the woman. "Ifalna! You need to-"

When the older Cetra continued to scream and violently shake, Cloud quickly realized that she wasn't going calm down at this rate. If anything, she seemed to grow madder as time passed. It was now scaring the blond, too.

The adventurer, not knowing what else to do, suddenly hugged Ifalna, who continued to tremble and shake in his embrace. The woman tried to shake her head, but Cloud's strong grasp around her prevented her from doing so. Her face buried into his chest, she continued to scream with no reason.

Realizing the situation was not getting any better, the caretaker quickly took the sobbing Aerith away. The blond could hear the two walking up a stairway before growing quiet.

Cloud, not letting Ifalna go, whispered in a soothing voice, "Deep breaths, Ifalna… Calm down and take deep breaths…"

Ifalna continued to violently struggle at first, her face still on Cloud's hoodie. Eventually, however, she began to calm down slightly, her movements becoming noticeably slower. Soon, the Cetra only moved slightly, her screaming growing quieter until she didn't utter a sound.

In the end, the brunette stopped moving. She was still standing inside the adventurer's embrace. Her arms hung limply from her shoulders, and her face was still buried into the blond's chest.

The two remained still for a moment.

A moment later, Cloud felt something wet forming on his chest. It didn't take him long to realize Ifalna was silently crying.

The blond, although feeling uncomfortable from this terrible experience, continued to hug the motionless crying Cetra.

Soon afterward, Ifalna began to feel heavier in the adventurer's arms for some reason. She was pulling him down.

When Cloud tried to keep her up, he noticed that the brunette was no longer moving. Her legs were giving in. It felt as if her whole body became limp and was trying to fall to the ground.

Ifalna had fainted in his arms.

The blond quickly placed his arm below the Cetra's legs and carried her as if a newlywed husband would carry his wife. Ifalna remained unconscious, but breathing steadily, in Cloud's arms.

Cloud saw the trails of the brunette's tears on her cheeks. They were clear signs of her inner turmoil.

 _Whatever she's going through in her mind_ , he thought with concern as he looked at the unconscious brunette in his arms, _I doubt it's gonna go away anytime soon_.

It looked as if Ifalna was simply sleeping in his arms. She looked so vulnerable, and it made Cloud wonder if she could really fend for herself and her daughter out there without his help.

He tried to shake the thought off, but it remained stuck in his head. He wanted to not think too much about it, but it continued to plague his mind.

The blond then realized something else.

 _Damn it, Ifalna. In the end, you needed me to carry you._


	4. Dawn of a New Journey

Ifalna felt nervous and excited as she waited standing in front of the wooden door with Cloud. After their daring escape from Shinra, the only thing that now stood between the Cetra and her child was a wooden door. She was unbelievably close to Aerith now.

All the Cetra hoped was for her child to be under good care. She had no other wishes. If Aerith was safe, then all would be well for the brunette.

Just a thought of seeing her again sent sparks of excitement traveling through her body. After all these years of torture, Aerith would finally be truly safe from the evil presence of Shinra.

Suddenly, a feminine voice behind the wooden door answered, "Just a moment!"

Just a moment…

For some strange reason, upon hearing such normal response to a knocking on the door, Ifalna began to feel lightheaded and sleepy. The Cetra's legs continued to stand for her, but her mind grew foggy.

It became difficult to think clearly. More importantly, she didn't even want to think anymore.

Everything began to fade. The lines around the edges continued to grow hazy until her sight showed nothing but a giant blur of colors on a canvas, like a meaningless art with no value in it.

The brunette felt as if she was slowly waking up from a good dream, a good dream she wanted to see last longer. Something pulled her from her wonderful dream back into a bleak reality.

Ifalna slowly lifted her heavy eyelids, her head still feeling incredibly numb.

She was standing in a cage-like elevator, the only source of light coming from the lamps on the moving walls outside the elevator. The whole place felt blue with no other shades of color, making the place feel colder than it already was.

The Cetra noticed two familiar guards in blue uniforms standing tall next to her, both carrying nightsticks as they waited for the elevator to stop at its destination. They were the same guards who always "escorted" her from her cell to Hojo's experimentation chamber.

Ifalna didn't dare to turn to look at them, her body remembering what they did to her the last time she did. The bruises she got that day refused to leave her for weeks.

It reminded her of her status here in this hell that was called the Shinra Headquarters. In here, she was not a prisoner. She was nothing more than a captured animal waiting to be butchered.

The brunette continued to stand motionlessly, her brain still numb from whatever was in those needles that were stuck into her. She tried to remember what she dreamed of, hoping that would lessen her pain.

Nothing came to her mind. Only utter blackness swirled around her head, robbing her of her ability to think like a human being.

The Shinra guard on her right suddenly asked to the guard on her left, "Hey Rich, ever wondered why they're keeping this bitch around?"

Rich responded tersely, "How the hell should I know, Tim?"

Tim made a strange snorting sound, most likely laughing. "Just asking," he answered with a smirk. "Kinda strange they would allow us to punch her up when she's being a nasty bitch… Not that I'm complaining."

The guard on the Cetra's right cackled in response, the sharp ugly noise digging deep into her right ear. "True that," he mumbled. "Guess that's one exciting thing for us about this whole thing. She doesn't seem like an ordinary prisoner, though."

The guard on her left mused, "Probably. The higher-ups did say only a few are allowed to even know about the existence of this girl. Seeing how they didn't tell even us elite guards about _what_ she is, seems like even fewer actually know her identity."

Identity.

As the two continued to have their conversation, Ifalna remained motionless and thoughtless. She was too tired and too poisoned by whatever was put into her earlier to even process something through her mind.

But that word shot through her skull and implanted itself into Ifalna's brain like an arrow being shot into its target.

As the word rung in her mind, Ifalna remembered why she was trapped here. She vividly remembered why her husband was killed. She remembered why her daughter was captured along with her.

She was a Cetra.

She was a damn Cetra.

Ifalna's blood began to boil as something heavy and dark began to swell up in her heart. The brunette realized the only reason she was caught was because she was a Cetra, and nothing else.

That was it.

The brunette used to think it was an incredible blessing to be born as a Cetra. At least, she thought so, since her parents always told her that while they were alive.

Then she was captured. At this point, she realized that she was wrong all those years.

Those monsters were torturing the Cetra because of her identity.

Gaia had forsaken her, and in doing so, her family.

The feeling of sadness and betrayal in her was slowly replaced with anger and rage. The raw emotion clawed inside her, wanting to burst out.

Her head began to swirl in madness. As the rage grew in her, so did the pain in her head. Like cancer, it continued to grow until the pain in her head became too much for her to handle.

Ifalna grabbed her head with both of her hands, trying to alleviate the pain. The headache only worsened, and she felt as if someone tried to pry her skull open. Unable to think through the pain, the Cetra began to shake violently as if a ghost possessed her.

She shut her eyes and screamed, feeling like she was losing a grip of herself. The woman continued to shake her head and shriek as loud as she could, despite the pain refusing to go away.

Suddenly, someone grabbed hold of her. Ifalna tried to shake herself out of the person's grasp. She used all of the energy left in her, attempting away from this being.

Her efforts were fruitless, and the Cetra realized this person was physically stronger than the two guards… two monsters… that routinely forced her out of her cell. No matter how she moved and how she flailed about, the person did not release her.

Although she could not see through her shut eyelids, Ifalna realized her face was being pushed into the person's chest. She refused to halt her shrieking and shaking. The Cetra did not want to stop as long as that sharp pain continued to eat away her mind.

To Ifalna's utter shock, the person suddenly whispered with a strangely familiar voice into her ear, "Deep breaths, Ifalna… Calm down and take deep breaths."

It was that voice of the man in her dream.

The brunette's body continued to tremble violently and her mouth continued to scream on its own. But she felt the pain beginning to subside, like lava being cooled down by the ocean waters. Slowly, but surely, her headache dissipated.

Moments later, Ifalna stopped shaking and screaming. The pain in her head completely disappeared as she began to feel her mind and soul returning to her.

The madness in her heart was replaced with sadness.

The Cetra could only cry into the mystery person's chest. So much tears poured out of her eyes and into his shirt.

His embrace felt warm and welcoming. Lovely, even.

The hug reminded her of Gast. She remembered how she would always forget about her hardships and concerns when he hugged her. Those moments were brief, but Ifalna treasured them, knowing that she would never be able to feel the comfort of her husband's embrace ever again.

…

…

…

Ifalna missed him dearly…

* * *

 **CHAPTER IV**

 **DAWN OF A NEW JOURNEY**

* * *

"…Are you sure she's going to be okay?" Ifalna heard a muffled feminine voice ask.

"It depends on what you mean by 'okay'," a masculine voice admitted with slight hesitation. "But, physically, she's alright."

Ifalna opened her eyes.

The Cetra felt as if she woke from a dream.

The brunette felt as if she was slowly waking up from a terrible dream, a terrible dream she wanted to escape from. Something pulled her from her terrible nightmare back into a new reality.

She sat up. The Cetra noticed that she was in another bedroom, this time much smaller than the previous one she woke up in. The floor and ceiling seemed to be made of wooden planks, and the walls were much cleaner than the ones back in the other bedroom. A sofa rested on the other side of the small room and a table stood next to a wooden door that appeared to lead outside.

Rubbing her temples, the brunette breathed slowly to collect herself before making another move.

… _Where was I?_ Ifalna asked herself, trying to put the pieces of her memories back together.

The Cetra remembered she was back in Shinra HQ, waiting in that dreaded elevator for Hojo's next experiments. While she stood there, she recalled having a dream involving a man named Cloud. But, now it felt as if _that_ was a nightmare and she just woke up from it in this bedroom.

 _I feel like I'm jumping between two different realities_ , Ifalna murmured to herself, the feeling of dread plaguing her heart. _I'm not even sure what's real and what's not…_

Looking down at her hands, the Cetra bit her lower lip. She balled her hands into fists and straightened them. They felt real. She herself felt real. But it scared the brunette just how real her nightmare felt, as well.

Ifalna wondered what messages Gaia would have sent her had she preserved her abilities as a Cetra. Of course, there was no point in thinking about that. It has been a long while since she forcibly severed her connection with the spirit of the planet.

After all these years, the brunette still didn't know whether to regret doing that or not.

 _I wonder if it's possible to reconnect with Gaia_ , Ifalna thought to herself, doubting that she would ever find the answer to that question.

Hoping not to trigger anything else in her mind, the brunette slowly and cautiously stood up. As she set her feet on the wooden floor, it made a small squeaking and creaking noise. The sensation shot through her whole body. A strange sense of complete satisfaction filled her mind as she made more steps across the room.

Ifalna turned to her right and noticed a large window. The Cetra slowly walked up to it and looked outside, placing her hand on the glass.

She saw the slums outside the house. After immediately noticing that she was at a second floor of the place, she got a better view of the area around the house. The woman was still surprised to see a body of clean water surrounding the area. This house felt so out of place. It almost felt mystical.

Whoever built this place had a keen sense of location.

Or maybe it was just dumb luck.

"…And that's how I rescued her," the same masculine voice from before spoke again behind the door. "The magic of Phoenix Down truly is remarkable. It's a shame they're rarer than diamonds."

"I can only feel relieved that you had one when you found her," the same feminine voice responded before continuing to talk.

Oh, right. There were people outside.

She immediately recognized the man's voice as Cloud's.

Ifalna tried to remember the feminine voice. The voice sounded rather familiar, but the Cetra couldn't place her finger on it.

The brunette walked up to the door and quickly swung it open, revealing Cloud and another woman talking to each other.

The two jumped, taken by surprise.

The blond sighed before speaking, "Don't open doors like that. It seriously startled me." He then smiled and asked, "Anyway, how do you feel?"

"Terrible," Ifalna bluntly responded with a frown.

Cloud frowned as he crossed his arms. "C'mon, Ifalna," the adventurer murmured with disappointment before glancing at the brown-haired woman next to him. "You can't just say that in front of Ms. Gainsborough after resting up in her home."

"Th-that's not what I meant," the Cetra stammered, shaking her hands in denial. "I-I just meant that I…"

The blond laughed before interrupting her, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

Her brows furrowing from annoyance, Ifalna opened her mouth to say, "That's not funny at all." She decided not to say it, however. Not in front of a stranger, at least.

The other woman, Ms. Gainsborough, chuckled before joining in the conversation. "There's no need to apologize," she reassured with a smile. "It's good to see that you're all right, Ms..."

"…Faremis," the Cetra slowly and carefully murmured in response. She wasn't sure what to think of this woman, but judging by how Cloud was talking to her, the Cetra felt that she might be able to trust her. "Ifalna Faremis," she then added, keeping her eyes on the smiling Ms. Gainsborough.

The house owner nodded and said happily, "It's good to see you again, Ms. Faremis. Cloud here just introduced himself to me and was explaining how he rescued you. It's a relief to see you standing, considering what state you were in the last time we met…"

Last time we met…

Did they meet before? It would certainly explain how her voice sounded familiar.

Ifalna stared off into a distance, trying to recall the possible time the two met. It couldn't have been that long ago, considering that she hadn't set her foot into the slums until-

Ah.

The Cetra remembered clearly now. It was that fateful day when she escaped with her daughter from the Shinra Headquarters. While they escaped, one of the Turks chasing them shot her several times, severely wounding her. But somehow, miraculously, she took Aerith to the train station in the slum. Then, a young woman approached her and tried to help her, but to no avail. The only thought that crossed the brunette's mind at the time was that she may be able to take care of her child. So, in her dying breath, she told the lady to take care of her child, Aerith, before falling unconscious.

It finally dawned upon Ifalna that this Ms. Gainsborough person was the same woman who tried to help her.

"Oh!" the Cetra softly gasped, her eyes widening in surprise. "You're the one back at the train station."

"That's right," Ms. Gainsborough said as she nodded. "I'm sorry that I was unable to be of more help. It's very fortunate that Cloud was around to save you on time."

"It's quite all right, Ms. Gainsborough," Ifalna quickly replied.

"Just call me Elmyra," the house owner insisted.

"Yes, um, Elmyra," the Cetra mumbled before remembering that this woman was the one who took Aerith. She then quickly asked, "Is Aerith still here?"

Elmyra tapped her chin, looking concerned. "…Well, yes," she answered with hesitation, "but she's a bit… shaken up."

Ifalna stiffened upon hearing that. "Shaken up?" she repeated the house owner, becoming worried about the wellbeing of her daughter. "Did something happen to her?"

Upon hearing this question, Cloud and Elmyra glanced at each other with distress showing in their faces. The two being uncomfortable silent tested the brunette's patience and made her expect for the worst.

The aproned woman slowly faced the Cetra and asked with disbelief, "…You… don't remember?"

Ifalna felt her hair stand on end. "Remember what?" she responded. Why was this woman acting so strange all of a sudden?

Struggling to put it in words, Elmyra remained silent as she looked away from the brunette. She looked as if she was deep in her own thoughts, trying to put together the right words in her mind.

Cloud quickly intervened and explained, "You sort of lost yourself when I opened the front door. Aerith got scared when she saw you."

The Cetra's fear grew upon hearing this. "How did I 'lose' myself?" she interrogated, demanding an answer at this point.

The blond slowly breathed in, preparing himself to say whatever was in his mind, bit his lower lip and clarified with some difficulty, "You, um, started shaking violently and shrieking like a ghost when Aerith tried to hug you. She got frightened and started crying before Elmyra took her away from you."

…Oh.

So, she really did go crazy. In front of her own child, too.

Ifalna felt herself grow slightly numb. She sulked as she backed away to the nearest wall and leaned on it.

 _I guess I really am broken_ , the Cetra thought to herself grimly as she stared off into space. _I can't even control myself near Aerith, my own daughter._

Cloud walked forth as he scratched the back of his head. "Err… Don't worry. I know how you feel," the blond stated, noticeably trying his best to sound reassuring and comforting. "I lost my own mind plenty of times when I was younger. Heck, I even assaulted one of my closest friends while I was losing my mind. Ha ha!"

Ifalna and Elmyra froze. They silently turned to stare at the adventurer with very concerned and disturbed looks.

"…I'm just kidding," the blond quickly said with alarm as he noticed the two. "I was only trying to cheer you up."

 _It failed spectacularly, Cloud_ , the Cetra responded silently, holding back her desire to glare at the adventurer for saying something so out of line.

The three stood silently, all trying to think of something to say to cut through this uncomfortably thick silence that Cloud created. The brunette wondered if the blond was one of those people who were extremely dependable in one moment and extremely unreliable in other moments.

Almost as if to respond to her thoughts, Cloud opened his mouth and began, "Anyway, would you like to speak with your daughter soon, Ifalna?"

"W-what?" the Cetra blurted, confused that the blond would ask such a question. The adventurer just finished explaining what she did to her child, which she failed to recall much to her frustration. And now he was asking her if she wanted to speak with her? "…B-but," she stammered, having serious doubts about the idea, "I…"

Looking puzzled by the idea, Elmyra turned to Cloud and inquired, "Are you sure that is a good idea? Ms. Faremis just woke up after that… event. Wouldn't it be better if the reunion waited out a bit?"

The adventurer crossed his arms before affirming with confidence, "Ifalna should be fine for now. If she wasn't, she wouldn't even be standing here talking with us."

The Cetra nearly rolled her eyes when she heard this. "We only met earlier today," she sternly reminded the blond. "How can you be so sure about this? Even I don't know when I'm going to lose my mind again."

Cloud shrugged, clearly brushing off her comment. "Trust me, I know about this sane-insane junk," he reassured her. "This sort of thing happens in phases in a way. It completely gets at you and then when it's done, it leaves you alone for a while. So, you should be fine for several minutes starting now, at least."

Ifalna scowled after hearing such unprofessional comment. "That's not reassuring at all," she shot back, barely keeping herself levelheaded. "And how would you know about this 'sane-insane junk' you speak of?"

The blond nonchalantly replied, "I told you. I have experienced this before. I-"

"Hold one just one moment," the Cetra nearly exclaimed as she remembered something strange, her brows knitting together. "…Are you saying you really assaulted someone?"

"Yes-" Cloud confirmed as he nodded before realizing what he had just said. "No!" he hastily exclaimed to cut himself off, his eyes wide open with surprise.

"You really did beat someone up, did you?!" Ifalna shouted, covering her mouth in utter shock. "How could you do that?!"

Elmyra calmly tapped her pointer fingers as her eyes moved from Cloud to Ifalna, then from Ifalna to Cloud, as she tried to follow this "conversation". It was becoming more of an argument at this point, though. Thinking that she had to stop them before things grew more heated, the house owner cleared her throat and asked, "…Um, Ms. Faremis? Cloud?"

"Didn't you say that it was your close friend you assaulted, too?!" the Cetra continued with rage, unable to hear Elmyra's soft voice.

Cloud, ignoring the aproned woman, reached his limit and growled, "Holy shi- cow, Ifalna. Didn't you say earlier today you only partly believed in me?"

"Yes, I did!" the angry brunette exclaimed back, her hands balled into fists. "How does that relate to this-"

"Out of _all things_ I said," the blond interjected as he angrily raised his pointer finger and pointed at the Cetra, "you believe in a _joke_ I just mentioned to cheer you up."

Elmyra lowered her head when the two continued to ignore her.

"That wasn't even funny to begin with!" Ifalna shot back, her rage not showing any signs of disappearing. "And it was awfully descriptive to be a _joke_."

Furiously rubbing his temples, Cloud shot back with a raised voice, "Okay, _now_ you're refusing to believe my words. How convenient, don't you think?"

The Cetra's face grew red upon hearing the statement. "Don't you dare give me that!" she growled at the blond's face. "And even if it was a joke, how did you think that _joke_ was going to work? When was assaulting ever funny?"

Cloud shrugged. "I dunno, dark humor?" he asked, growing more and more annoyed by this bickering.

This mystified Ifalna. She tried to wrap her head around the appropriateness of dark humor, especially in a case like this. When the brunette failed, she affirmed to the adventurer with an angry look, "You have issues."

Upon hearing this, Cloud's jaws dropped, shock evident in his face. "…I don't think _you_ have the right to tell me that," Cloud pointed out as he recovered.

Before Ifalna could say anything more, Elmyra suddenly exclaimed, "Aerith!"

Cloud and Ifalna quickly turned around and noticed a small girl sitting on the stairway, staring at them with a frown. Aerith nervously tapped her knees, realizing that the three noticed her.

Elmyra quickly ran to the child and whispered, "Aerith, I told you to wait downstairs." She then helped Aerith stand up and continued, "Now, let's walk to the living room. I'll turn on the television if you want to-"

The blond suddenly spoke up, "Hold it, kid." He then turned to the frozen Ifalna with a smug grin on his face. "Your mother wishes to speak with you."

Shocked to hear this, Ifalna turned to glare at the adventurer, annoyed and concerned by his brazen decision. "Are you crazy?" she whispered angrily at him through her gritted teeth.

"What was that?" Cloud asked in a suspiciously loud voice, loud enough for Aerith to hear. "You say you can't wait to talk with Aerith? My, how sweet of you!"

"Cloud!" The Cetra snapped back in a whispering but sharp tone. She wanted to question Cloud's decision-making skills at this point. If this was going to go downhill, she planned on pinning all the blame on Cloud.

Without much thought, Ifalna turned back to look at Aerith, who was standing on the stairway.

She was looking at her mother with a bright smile on her face. Her whole face seemed to be lit up with excitement after the adventurer spoke to her. Seeing her child like this warmed the Cetra's heart.

Elmyra seemed to doubt the blond's decision, but she also seemed to have no idea what else to do. Cautiously, the aproned woman let go of Aerith and stepped back to make room for her and her mother.

The whole room became silent as Ifalna and Aerith looked at each other. The mother was finally recognizing her child, but she remained awfully cautious. Meanwhile, the child longingly gazed at her mother, ready to run to her at any moment.

Mustering up her courage, the older Cetra tried to step forward towards her daughter. Her feet were planted onto the floor, however, and she was unable to move. The fear of losing herself again plagued her mind, holding her back from her own child.

Instead, she smiled and quietly muttered, "Aerith…"

"Mommy!" Aerith exclaimed as she ran to her mother as fast as she could. As she hugged her legs, she murmured happily with a tinge of sadness, "I missed you so much."

Ifalna felt her heart race with excitement. Her embrace and her voice, they comforted her. The fear in her heart slowly disappeared, and the older Cetra slowly relaxed. She could only feel joy in her heart, a feeling she hasn't truly felt in so long.

Tranquility rushed over Ifalna, letting her feel the bliss she hasn't experienced for what felt like an eternity. The brunette slowly kneeled and hugged her daughter. "…I missed you, too, Aerith," she whispered into Aerith's ear.

The Cetra wanted to cry in joy. But, not wanting to scare Aerith again, she held her tears back.

The two remained embracing each other for a while. The two have hugged each other many times in the past, but that was all in the Shinra Headquarters, where danger and evil loomed over them every day and every night. This was their first embrace where both felt safe and out of danger, at least for that moment.

While Ifalna and Aerith continued to hug each other, the mother heard the adventurer murmur, "What a happy reunion…"

The older Cetra looked up to see that Cloud had walked away and was standing next to Elmyra. Both were smiling. Seeing a giant smile on Elmyra's face, Ifalna could easily tell she was more than excited to see the two reunited. Much to the brunette's surprise, though, Cloud didn't seem that happy. He remained smiling, but she could see a tint of sadness on his face. The Cetra saw through his small smile and sensed a feeling of seriousness that his fake expression masked.

Perhaps it had something to do with him melting down earlier this day? She didn't know, but she knew it wouldn't matter, considering how the two were going to go their own paths soon.

Soon afterward, Aerith stepped back and excitedly began, "Mommy! I have another mommy taking care of me right now!"

Ifalna heard Cloud snicker. She refrained herself from glaring at the adventurer and said to her daughter, "Yes, I heard." She then added as she pointed at the aproned woman next to the blond, "It's her, right?"

The younger Cetra laughed and nodded in response.

The brunette softly laughed before asking Aerith, "Can you please take me to her, Aerith?"

"Mhm!" Aerith said as she nodded quickly, her head excitedly bobbing up and down. The girl grabbed her mother's hand and began to walk to Elmyra.

Ifalna stood up and followed Aerith, who grabbed her hand and walked to Elmyra who was standing close by. When the two stood right in front of the smiling aproned woman, the girl excitedly exclaimed, "Here she is!"

"Thank you so much, Aerith," the older Cetra replied with a smile before turning to Elmyra. "Ms. Gainsbo-, I mean, Elmyra," Ifalna began as she folded her hands politely, "thank you so much for keeping my daughter safe."

"You are most welcome," the house owner replied merrily. "I'm just glad you're still alive to meet your daughter again."

The older Cetra silently nodded upon hearing this, staring off into the space behind the aproned woman.

Elmyra straightened her apron with a thoughtful look. "…Actually," she slowly began as an idea popped into her head, "It must have been a long day for you two. I think both of you deserve some coffee or tea."

Ifalna and Cloud looked at each other, surprised to hear her make this offer. The blond turned back to the aproned woman and replied with slight uncertainty, "Uh, that would be nice, actually."

* * *

The four sat around the round dining table in the middle of the hexagonal living room. The bright room had many furniture that decorated the area, ranging from an old television and drawers to paintings and flowers. The smooth wooden ceiling, the tiled floor, and the décor in general added a warm welcoming feeling to the room, contrasting drastically with the dark, cold, and gloomy mood outside the home and in the slums.

The three adults took their time drinking coffee while Aerith drank a cold glass of milk.

Sipping from his cup, Cloud mentioned with satisfaction, "This coffee tastes really good, Elmyra."

"Thank you," Elmyra replied, glad that both were enjoying their drinks. "It's not really much, though. I wish I had more to offer."

Ifalna, after finishing her cup of coffee, shook her head and asserted, "This was more than we could have asked for. And, personally, I can only be thankful to you that you would take care of Aerith."

The aproned woman chuckled before commenting, "It was only for a day. You give me too much credit, Ms. Faremis."

Before Ifalna replied to this, she noticed her daughter gazing at the coffee-sipping adventurer.

After drinking from her glass cup, Aerith looked at Cloud, who was taking another sip of coffee. When the blond noticed her looking at him, the girl smiled brightly.

The younger Cetra cheerfully said, "Your hair looks really spikey."

The blond smirked, amused by the little girl. "Thanks," he said in response. "I like my hair."

Aerith laughed and continued, "Did you know nails are spikey as well?"

"Are they now?" Cloud asked, curious as to what the young Aerith would say next.

"Mhm," the child mumbled as she nodded. "Spikey things are dangerous, too."

"Really?" the blond inquired. "How so?"

"If you touch them wrong," Aerith began to explain as she tried to remember her facts that she learned, "then you will bleed!"

"Whoa!" Cloud said as he exaggerated his surprised expression.

"Yeah," the girl continued, her expression growing serious. "Your hair must get bloody a lot."

"Ye-… what?" the adventurer stuttered as he heard the comment, wondering if he heard her wrong.

"I think a lot of people will think your hair is dangerous," Aerith thought out loud, frowning. "I think people won't like to hug you."

"…Wow," Cloud muttered, looking both impressed and slightly hurt by the younger Cetra's comment.

Elmyra was quick to warn the girl to be careful with her words. Ifalna nearly snickered upon hearing Aerith's creative comment, but decided not to say anything about it.

A little later, the house owner wiped her mouth with a tissue and inquired the adventurer, "So, what do you plan on doing now?"

After glancing at his digital wristwatch, Cloud answered, "I'm gonna be traveling around places again. My next destination is the northern continent, where the Northern Cave Crater is."

Elmyra tapped her chin, clearly thinking about what the blond just said. "Is that so…?" she murmured, looking as if she wanted to say more but was holding herself back.

Quickly noticing the home owner's strange behavior, Cloud asked her, "Is something in your mind?"

After remaining silent for a moment, Elmyra slowly stood up and said, "Just a moment." She walked over to one of the drawers and picked up a picture before returning to the table. As she showed the blond the picture, she asked with a solemn expression, "Have you seen this man?"

Cloud leaned over and squinted to see the picture.

Curious about of its content, Ifalna did the same and observed the small paper.

In the picture were two adults standing in front of the same house they were in, smiling at the camera. The shorter one was clearly Elmyra. The taller one was a lean man with white skin, dark-brown combed hair, and a slightly pointed chin with some stubble on it. The Cetra also noticed that he was wearing a long-sleeved green sweater and khaki pants. The man looked like an average ordinary person, which was strange, considering how most of the people in the slums were not average or ordinary.

But then again, Elmyra wasn't like anyone else in the slums, as well.

After inspecting the picture carefully, Cloud slowly shook his head and answered, "No, I haven't seen him."

The house owner looked clearly disappointed, but she did her best to mask it by smiling. "…I see," she murmured as she blankly stared at her coffee cup. She then quickly turned back to Cloud, looking rather determined, and said, "His name is Rochford. If you ever see him, can you tell him to stop making me so worried and come back home?"

The blond raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked, confused by the sudden request.

Elmyra took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down before asking, "Rochford is my husband. He was drafted into the Shinra army to fight Wutai in the war. But a while ago, I received a letter saying that he was going to return home very soon." The woman grabbed her empty cup of coffee and stared into it as she continued to explain her story, "I've been waiting for him at the train station since. But, as you can see, he still hasn't returned. I'm not sure if his return was just delayed or something went wrong."

A missing husband.

So, she had a missing husband.

Ifalna could only understand how it would feel all too well. Wondering where he might be all this time, it must be a pain to not know what was going on. Had she still had her connections with Gaia, she would have easily known whether he was still alive or not. All the Cetra could do now was hope that the man was okay and would return home soon.

After hearing the story, Cloud slightly slumped, looking very troubled about something. He had the expression that could make everyone else around worry alongside him. The look of concern the man made looked foreign on him. At least, that's what Ifalna thought.

He quickly sat up again, however, and reassured the house owner with a smile, "Don't worry. If I ever this Rochford person around during my travels, I'll tell him to get back here ASAP."

Upon hearing this, Elmyra smiled in relief. "Thank you so much," she replied. "I just hope he comes back home real soon."

As soon as she finished talking with Cloud, Elmyra turned to Ifalna and asked, "And what about you, ma'am? What do you intend on doing now that you and Aerith are together?"

The older Cetra glanced at her daughter, who was smiling at her, waiting for her to answer the question. Seeing her smile like this, staying so safe from the danger, it made Ifalna happy.

The brunette suddenly asked the aproned woman, "Before I answer that, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Um, no I don't," Elmyra replied as she tapped her cup in anticipation.

"Would you have taken care of my daughter if I died?"

Taken aback by such a question, Elmyra coughed. After collecting her thoughts, she replied cautiously, "…Yes, I would have. In fact, that was what I originally planned on doing before you reappeared."

The Cetra was relieved to hear that answer. Aerith was going to be safe after all. And, seeing the positive attitude and personality of the woman, she would have undoubtedly taken care of her daughter very well.

In the end, this was what their escape from Shinra was about. This was all that mattered to her: Keeping Aerith safe from them.

"Thank you so much," Ifalna replied in relief before taking a breath. "Now, to answer your question, I intend on running away as far as possible."

…

…

…

"…Ooooh," Elmyra let out as she assumed she realized what the Cetra meant. "You want to get away from this place with you daughter as far as possible. Well, that's understandable-"

"No," Ifalna interjected as she shook her head, becoming serious once more. "I'm going to go away from Aerith as far as possible."

…

…

…

An expression of utter shock replaced the cheerful smile that was on Aerith's face. She looked to be in disbelief upon hearing this. The girl looked as if maybe she just heard her mother wrong. Hoping to get something out of the older Cetra, the daughter murmured cautiously, "…Mommy?"

Cloud cleared his throat before laughing, interrupting everyone in the room. "W-well," he began, trying to remain calm as he forced a smile, "looks like there's some misunderstanding going around here."

Before Ifalna was able to shake her head and repeat herself, the blond quickly got up and went over to the brunette. After lightly laughing, Cloud grabbed Ifalna's shoulders and gently pulled her up. "There's something I have to discuss with my good friend before we continue," he cheerfully said rather loudly, blocking off any chances for Ifalna to say something.

The adventurer hastily dragged the Cetra out of the house, leaving Elmyra and Aerith in a very confused state.

As soon as Cloud shut the door behind him, he immediately asked the Cetra with a flustered look, "Ifalna, what the hell?"

Shaken up by Cloud's unexpected actions, Ifalna tried to get a hold of herself as she stammered, "W-what?"

Looking very confused and vexed, Cloud vigorously rubbed his temples. "Are you _actually_ saying you're going to leave Aerith behind and run away by yourself?"

Unfazed by the question, the Cetra nodded with no hesitation. "That's correct," she verified calmly.

The blond grew quiet upon hearing the brunette's response. He slowly turned around and looked out into the open space behind him, grabbing his head with both of his hands. Moments later, he turned back around with a frustrated look and asked, "I didn't want to say this, but what in the actual _fuck_ , Ifalna? How could you just throw away your daughter like that?"

"I'm _not_ throwing her away," Ifalna quickly responded, frustrated that Cloud would jump to conclusions as she struggled to keep a neutral expression. "This is the best possible option for Aerith."

"How could you do this?" Cloud half-exclaimed, keeping his voice down to not frighten anyone in the house. "You're her mother-!"

"Yes, Cloud, I'm her mother," the Cetra angrily interjected, growing tired of Cloud's meaningless rant. It was more than obvious to the brunette that the adventurer was refusing to understand the bigger picture she had in mind. She failed to keep her stoic face as her brows knitted together in frustration. "I know what's best for her, and what's best for her right now is protection and care."

"How does abandoning her give her 'protection and care'?"

"Did you forget who I am already?" Ifalna asked as she raised her eyebrow, growing more and more agitated. "I'm a Cetra, one of the primary targets of Shinra. What do you think will happen if I stay with my daughter?"

The blond remained silent as he processed what the brunette just told him. His expression slowly softened, signaling his realization. "…You think staying away from your daughter will minimize her chances of getting caught."

Ifalna slowly nodded, her temper settling down now that the blond seemed to understand her. "My only goal here was to know if Elmyra is a suitable caretaker, a possible stepmother." Feeling the frustration leave her, the Cetra sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "As long as I'm around, Aerith will be in constant danger. We can run, but we'll never be able to hide for long."

Cloud looked as if he wanted to say something in response. Whatever he tried to say, however, the blond seemed to lose his words in his throat.

"Thankfully, Elmyra seems more than suitable to be a mother to Aerith," the brunette continued. "Even Aerith began to see her as one. It was only a day, too."

"So," the adventurer finally spoke up, looking troubled by what the Cetra told him just now, "what do you plan to do now?"

"I already told you," Ifalna began to remind the blond. "I'm going to run as far away from Aerith as possible."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

…

…

Cloud sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples. "What if Shinra gives up on catching you and decides to capture Aerith? Have you thought of that possibility?"

Ifalna nodded solemnly. "I have," she began to reply. "But, I'm sure at this point that Elmyra would do a better job protecting her than I would."

"How are you so damn certain?" the adventurer vented, glaring at the Cetra as if she was being foolish. "You only met Elmyra for a moment. I mean, sure, she seems like a loving person. But how can you be so sure that you won't be able to do a good job with this?"

"I lost control over myself several times just today," Ifalna sternly reminded as she gave the blond a vitriolic look. "Do you _honestly_ think I'm fit to protect a child _and_ be on a constant lookout for danger?"

The two became quiet, nothing around the area breaking the silence.

Not wanting this to go on, the brunette shook her head and said, "If you're done, I'm going back in and telling them the truth."

Soon afterward, both Ifalna and Cloud reentered the house, both carrying solemn faces. The brunette was nervous of talking about this with Elmyra and Aerith, but she knew it had to be done.

Elmyra and Aerith, still sitting with concerned looks at the table, grew even more concerned when they noticed how serious the adventurer and the Cetra appeared when they came back in to the living room.

As Ifalna and Cloud slowly moved to sit at the table, the aproned woman mustered up her courage and softly asked, "…Is something wrong?"

That was when the Cetra told the whole truth about her and Aerith. From the fact that they were Cetra to what Shinra tried to do with them, she told everything that Elmyra needed to know. The home owner seemed overwhelmed by all the information at first, but as time passed on, she slowly took it in.

When Ifalna finished explaining, Elmyra rubbed her forehead before admitting, "I didn't expect to hear _this_. But, I'm more surprised at myself for taking this rather well."

After nodding in assurance, the Cetra asked, "So, are you willing to take care of Aerith and protect her?" Now that Elmyra knew what she was getting into, all Ifalna could hope for was the aproned woman to say yes.

"…Well," Elmyra began slowly, wondering how to express her thoughts, "my answer is still 'yes', but I'm just worried about your safety-"

"Don't be too concerned about it," Ifalna reassured, finally making a small smile. "As long as you're willing to take care of Aerith, it should be fine."

"…I see," the woman murmured, still deeply concerned about this whole matter. She had nothing more to add to this discussion as she realized that nothing she said would ever change the brunette's mind. It concerned her and frustrated her in some aspect, but she decided against starting a fruitless argument that wasn't going to change the mother's mind.

When Ifalna turned to Aerith, the older Cetra noticed the sad expression on her daughter's face. It was heartbreaking to see her like this again, but the brunette knew she had to do this for her child's own safety.

The mother slowly stood up and approached her daughter. She then squatted next to Aerith and soothingly said, "I'm sorry, Aerith, but mommy has to go away for a while."

Aerith frowned, doing her best to hold back her emotions. "I know," the younger Cetra murmured sadly, "but why can't we just stay here together? I don't want you to leave again."

Ifalna shook her head and said, "It's not safe for now. We can't stay together while Shinra are still hunting for us." The Cetra then smiled and said reassuringly, "I promise that I will return to see you when it becomes safer."

The girl smiled upon hearing this. "You promise?" she asked, growing happy with the thought of her being able to meet her mother again in the future.

"I promise," Ifalna repeated as she hugged her child.

The older Cetra wished she could stay longer with Aerith. They barely stayed together for only an hour, after all. Ifalna knew leaving her was going to hurt so much, but she did her best to not think about it for now, treasuring the embrace of her daughter this moment.

Soon after, Ifalna looked into her daughter's green eyes and stated, "Remember, be a good girl to Elmyra and don't cause any trouble, okay?"

Aerith nodded happily before answering, "Don't worry, mom. I will."

The older Cetra nodded before standing up and stepping towards the front door. She then turned back to see the whole view of the living room. Cloud was still silently sitting at the table, and judging from his angry expression, he was still upset. Elmyra and Aerith were looking at the brunette, a mix of certainty and doubt showing on their faces.

Not wanting to push this back any further, Ifalna cleared her throat before saying, "I will be going now. See you later, everyone."

With that said, she quickly left the house.

* * *

 _Well, this is it_ , Ifalna thought to herself as she stood in front of Elmyra's home. _I'm truly alone now_.

Feeling the breeze slapping against her face, the brunette looked out into the open space in front of her. Even the slums began to look so vast now that she was alone. It made Ifalna realize that someone was always with her nearly all her life. Even during her time in the Shinra Headquarters, Aerith was still with her.

This new feeling of true loneliness flushed through the Cetra's mind, making her realize just how big the world was. It honestly scared her a bit.

… _Maybe I'll wait for Cloud to come out for now_ , Ifalna told herself as she remembered her rescuer. _He deserves much more than my scorn, after all_.

Waiting for time to pass faster, the brunette walked around the house. She kicked several stones on the dirt floor to the small lake as she waited for a minute, which extended to several minutes.

After a long wait, Cloud finally emerged from Elmyra's home. The expression on his face remained serious as ever, but at least he didn't appear angrier than before.

As soon as the blond closed the front door and began to step away from the home, Ifalna stepped up to him and stood tall in front him.

The adventurer, caught by surprise, blurted at the woman, "You're still here?"

Ifalna nodded, inwardly glad to see the man before she left.

…

…

"…Is there anything you want to say?" Cloud asked as he crossed his arms, clearly exhausted from what just happened at Elmyra's home.

Ifalna took a deep breath before beginning, "I want to thank you for all the help you've given me." The Cetra brushed her hair back before continuing, "You helped me so much more than I could have ever asked for. I wish I could do something for you in return."

As he was listening to her, the adventurer gave a half-smile. He still looked visibly tired and somewhat conflicted.

"And…" the brunette added slowly as she rubbed her upper arm, "I'm sorry if I was rude to you earlier, too. I may have acted out of line several times, and I think you deserve an apology for having to deal with my strange actions."

"Eh, it's nothing," Cloud sighed as he shook his head, beginning to walk away from the home. "I'm just… kinda concerned for you."

Wanting to talk a little more with the blond, Ifalna followed him and assured, "There's no need to worry about me. You should just worry about yourself, if anything."

"I'm trying," the adventurer grumbled as he rubbed his temples, "but it's harder than it looks."

As the two walked away from Elmyra's home and back to the gloomy slums, the Cetra pointed out, "You're the one who mentioned about 'splitting ways'. It would be hard to do so if you stay this concerned-"

"I mentioned that before I realized that you aren't actually fine," Cloud interrupted as he abruptly stopped. After turning to face the brunette, he continued with a concerned look, "I thought you were okay until you had another mental breakdown back at Elmyra's place. You even admitted that you lost control over yourself several times today. And there's also the fact that Shinra's hunting for you."

"There's no need to worry too much about that," Ifalna quickly said, hoping to calm the adventurer down. "Only a few people in Shinra are actually after me, like the Turks and their elite guards. Everyone else in the company don't even know about me."

"That's only a possibility," Cloud pointed out, not affected by the brunette's comment in any way. "What if they decide to use more resources in capturing you later?"

"That won't happen while that war or whatever is going on," the brunette explained, not being fazed by Cloud's constant questioning. "They would be more focused on not losing to… whoever they're fighting right now."

"Wutai," the adventurer reminded, his expression serious as ever. "That war is not going to last forever, though. A bit of a spoiler for you, but it will end in less than ten years."

Surprised to hear this, Ifalna gasped as she covered her mouth. She processed the information through her head before asking, "Who won?"

"Take a wild guess," Cloud bluntly answered.

"Wutai."

"Please."

The answer was clear, despite Ifalna not wanting to believe it. Nothing she could do was going to change that. It didn't take much for the Cetra to realize Shinra may begin to search for her and her daughter more thoroughly after the war.

Although Ifalna still strongly believe Elmyra would do a better job in protecting her daughter, she still felt concerned about Shinra hunting her down. Again.

It scared her more than she thought it would.

Cloud cleared his throat before continuing, "So anyway, what do you plan on doing after running away while knowing that they will use more resources and manpower to look for you and Aerith?"

Ifalna bit her lower lip, admittedly worried after hearing what Cloud had to say about this. "…Well, first off, Aerith would still be safer under Elmyra than me," she repeated. "They wouldn't take too much chances with her while she's under the care of an unrelated person."

"I know you're not going to change your mind about that," Cloud pointed out as he pulled on one of the spikes on his head. "But, what about yourself? No one's protecting you as far as I know. They'll focus more on searching for you in the future. And I doubt you would want to return there, too."

The Cetra had to admit, she did not want to go back to that hellhole. That was the very last place she wanted to be in in her lifetime. And, Cloud was right in that she knew of no one in this world who would risk his or her life to protect the brunette.

And even if she did manage to stay out of Shinra's sight without anyone's help, it would be an awfully lonely life. Ifalna knew only too well how loneliness can destroy a person, too.

The brunette had no idea. But, she knew she can't just sit around, either. The Cetra still had to try something to continue escaping from the dark hand of Shinra.

She felt sorry for making Cloud so worried about her. The man looked visibly troubled and concerned about her. So, the brunette decided to lighten the mood up with a small joke.

With a shrug, Ifalna mentioned, "I guess I'll just die then."

…

…

…

Cloud froze as a look of terror formed on his face.

…

…

…

Hoping to emphasize her joke, Ifalna forced a smile. It felt extremely awkward.

…

…

…

Cloud mumbled audibly, "…The fuck?"

Ifalna quickly said in a knee-jerk reaction, "It's a joke."

After taking a deep breath, the adventurer mentioned, "It didn't sound like one at all."

"I said it's a joke," the Cetra defended herself, feeling embarrassed and frustrated. "Why would I _kill_ myself?"

The blond stammered some words, but it was impossible to make them out. Eventually, he stopped and slowly rubbed his face, looking as if he was trying to think of something to say.

"Cloud, why," Ifalna blurted, growing annoyed with Cloud's disbelief. "You explained it yourself: Dark humor."

The blond mumbled something inaudible.

Ifalna continued to complain, "No, really. Do I look like the person to kill myself?"

The adventurer continued to murmur as he rubbed his temples.

"I don't know why you would complain about my 'dark humor' when you joked about it a while ago," the Cetra continued as her brows knitted together. "What do you think I thought of when-"

"Hey, I said 'okay', alright?!" Cloud finally exclaimed. After shaking his head, he calmed down and said, "…Sorry, I'm only concerned for you. That's all."

Glad that the blond gave up on arguing with her, Ifalna nodded and replied, "I will be fine, for now at least. You don't need to be this worried about me anyway. You need to be more concerned about returning to the future."

"…Yeah, you're right…" the adventurer admitted with a more relaxed look. "It's just… it's hard to not care about another human being in distress."

Another human being.

The Cetra had to admit, it felt so refreshing to be acknowledge as one and treated like one. For far too long, she was treated like an animal in a cage. The brunette forgot what it was like to be treated like a person. She wanted to thank Cloud and Elmyra a million times for helping her remember how it felt to be human.

Ironically, she doubted she was ever going to see the two ever again. Cloud, especially.

Before Ifalna added anything more, Cloud, after sheepishly scratching his head, extended his hand as he said, "Well, it was nice to meet you, Ifalna. Maybe we'll meet each other again in the future."

 _Hopefully I'll still be alive by then_ , the Cetra mused before shaking the adventurer's hand. "I'll never forget what you did for me, Cloud," she said with a smile, a genuine smile that sprouted from the warmth in her heart. "I hope to see you again."

For a split moment, the blond showed a rather sad expression. Before the brunette thought more about it, though, he quickly smiled before letting go of her hand. "Well," Cloud began as he rolled his right shoulder, "I'll be going back to my place to rest up before getting out of this dump."

Ifalna nodded as she took several steps away from the blond. "Good luck with your journey," she said with a smile, a smile she regretted not making more often when she still had more time with the blond.

"Anyway," Cloud said as he prepared to wrap it up, "take care, Ifalna. I'll see you around back in my time." With that finished, the blond turned around and began to walk away as he put his hands in his pockets.

"Good bye, Cloud," Ifalna said as she waved at the adventurer.

She stood there for minutes, watching the blond walk away at a steady pace. Eventually, the man disappeared, slum buildings and piles of junk blocking him from her view.

It was strange to see him go. Ifalna wished that she had more time to spend with the blond. He may have been strange, and maybe he did hide a few things from her, but she realized in the end that he was someone to be trusted.

Her heart was stung from the fact that she won't be seeing Cloud for so long. There wasn't even a guarantee that she would be alive or free by the time he returned. Or, even worse, there was a possibility he could die somehow before she would get the chance to meet him.

Ifalna soon turned to start her own journey. She didn't know where it would take her, but she hoped that it would let her stay away from Shinra as long as possible. It would be quite a lonely trip, but maybe, if she was lucky, she would be able to meet people just as good as Cloud.

 _Well, here I go_ , the brunette thought to herself nervously as she rubbed her hands together.

As soon as she took the first step, however, she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

The Cetra turned around.

It was Cloud.

"Um…" Cloud slowly began as he rubbed the back of his neck, "do you even know how to get out of this place?"

Um….

"I… err… no," Ifalna mumbled as she realized she didn't even know the way out of the slums. Maybe she should have planned this out more carefully.

"I thought so," Cloud grumbled as he shook his head. "I'm guessing you are thinking about asking me for help on that, aren't you?"

The Cetra blinked. A moment ago, she was thinking how she probably won't be seeing the blond again. But here he was now, returning to help her again.

Despite the condescending tone of the adventurer, she couldn't help but feel excited to be with him again for a little while longer.

Ifalna smiled as she looked at Cloud. "Yes," she answered as she brushed her hair back, "I think I need your help again."


End file.
